Another one of our research projects found that ERP and cognitive therapy was effective in 12 out of 17 patients who also had personality disorders. Treatment consisted of intensive 90 minute sessions five times a week for four weeks. All of the subjects met criteria for at least one personality disorder and 13 out of the 17 had four or more. Treatment sessions consisted of 60 minutes of ERP and 30 minutes of cognitive therapy. No relationship between treatment response and number of personality disorders was found.
Cognitive therapy involves challenging and altering faulty thinking patterns.
It is believed that faulty beliefs lead to negative emotions and behaviors. In cognitive therapy, patients learn to first identify faulty thinking patterns, challenge these thoughts and finally derive more constructive beliefs. It is believed that constructive thoughts lead to more positive emotions and behaviors. It is the experience of our clinicians that cognitive therapy is more effective when done at the onset of treatment. ERP is the specific behavioral technique implemented at our facility for BDD and numerous other disorders.