Review of Evidence

Abstract

Abstract This chapter reviews the research supporting the efficacy of exposure therapy for anxiety disorders and obsessive–compulsive disorder. The chapter begins with a brief commentary on the importance of using research to guide clinical practice. It then reviews the evidence supporting exposure therapy for adult anxiety disorders. As with many areas of health care, the adult anxiety disorder research literature is larger than that for childhood anxiety disorders. As such, the former can provide answers to broad questions and includes more explorations of specific questions compared with the latter. Of course, children are not simply little adults, and conclusions from adult studies do not necessarily apply to childhood disorders. Thus, the empirical support for exposure therapy in children with anxiety disorders and obsessive–compulsive disorder is presented in a subsequent chapter.