Comparison of the effectiveness of exposure therapy and response prevention and metacognitive therapy on reducing the severity of specific symptoms in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of exposure therapy and response prevention with metacognitive therapy on reducing the severity of specific symptoms and improving the quality of life of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. This research is a quasi-experimental study that was conducted with a pre-test-post-test research design with a control group. The statistical population included all patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder who referred to counseling centers in Shiraz in 1400. Metacognitive intervention for 8 group sessions and for two months in the form of 1.5 hour sessions on the first experimental group and the intervention of exposure and prevention The response was performed for 14 sessions of 2 hours on the experimental group and exposure prevention. Both experimental and control groups took fluvoxamine (200 to 300 doses) in close doses during the study period. Both treatment groups showed a significant decrease compared to the control group. However, the exposure therapy group and response prevention had a greater and more significant reduction than metacognitive therapy group therapy (P <0.001). Based on the research findings, the effect of exposure therapy and prevention response in reducing the specific symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Metacognitive therapy is more effective. Therefore, therapists can use this treatment along with other successful treatments to improve the quality of life of patients.