Therapist-controlled exposure in vivo versus self-controlled exposure in vivo: A comparison with obsessive-compulsive patients

Fourteen obsessive-compulsive clients were given treatment consisting of ten sessions of gradual exposure in vivo With half the clients, the exposure in vivo was therapist-controlled; with the other half, the exposure in vivo was self-controlled.

The results of the posttest showed that both versions of the treatment resulted in a significant improvement on the in vivo measurement, anxiety and avoidance scales, Leyton Obsessional Inventory, Self-Rating Depression Scale and anxious mood. Neither the posttest nor the follow-ups one month and 3.5 months later indicated a difference between the effects of the two conditions. Self-controlled exposure in vivo proved to be as effective as therapist-controlled exposure in vivo, in spite of the fact that in the latter condition each treatment session lasted twice as long as in the former condition.