Therapy
The specific CBT technique used is called exposure and response prevention (ERP), which involves teaching the person to deliberately come into contact with situations that trigger obsessive thoughts and fears (exposure), without carrying out the usual compulsive acts associated with the obsession (response prevention). This technique causes patients to gradually learn to tolerate the discomfort and anxiety associated with not performing their compulsions. For many patients, ERP is the add-on treatment of choice when selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) medication does not effectively treat OCD symptoms, or vice versa, for individuals who begin treatment with psychotherapy.For example, a patient might be asked to touch something very mildly contaminated (exposure), and wash their hands only once afterward (response prevention). Another example might entail asking the patient to leave the house and check the lock only once (exposure), without going back to check again (response prevention). After succeeding at one stage of treatment, the patients level of discomfort in the exposure phase can be increased. When this therapy is successful, the patient will quickly habituate to an anxiety-producing situation, discovering a considerable drop in anxiety level.ERP has a strong evidence base, and is considered the most effective treatment for OCD. However, this claim was doubted by some researchers in 2000, who criticized the quality of many studies.Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a newer therapy also used to treat anxiety and depression, has also been found to be effective in treatment of OCD.
By intent
By therapy composition
Treatments can be classified according to the method of treatment:

By matter
by drugs: pharmacotherapy, chemotherapy (also, medical therapy often means specifically pharmacotherapy)
by medical devices: implantation
cardiac resynchronization therapy
by specific molecules: molecular therapy (although most drugs are specific molecules, molecular medicine refers in particular to medicine relying on molecular biology)
by specific biomolecular targets: targeted therapy
molecular chaperone therapy
by chelation: chelation therapy
by specific chemical elements:
by metals:
by heavy metals:
by gold: chrysotherapy (aurotherapy)
by platinum-containing drugs: platin therapy
by biometals
by lithium: lithium therapy
by potassium: potassium supplementation
by magnesium: magnesium supplementation
by chromium: chromium supplementation; phonemic neurological hypochromium therapy
by copper: copper supplementation
by nonmetals:
by diatomic oxygen: oxygen therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (hyperbaric medicine)
transdermal continuous oxygen therapy
by triatomic oxygen (ozone): ozone therapy
by fluoride: fluoride therapy
by other gases: medical gas therapy
by water:
hydrotherapy
aquatic therapy
rehydration therapy
oral rehydration therapy
water cure (therapy)
by biological materials (biogenic substances, biomolecules, biotic materials, natural products), including their synthetic equivalents: biotherapy
by whole organisms
by viruses: virotherapy
by bacteriophages: phage therapy
by animal interaction: see animal interaction section
by constituents or products of organisms
by plant parts or extracts (but many drugs are derived from plants, even when the term phytotherapy is not used)
scientific type: phytotherapy
traditional (prescientific) type: herbalism
by animal parts: quackery involving shark fins, tiger parts, and so on, often driving threat or endangerment of species
by genes: gene therapy
gene therapy for epilepsy
gene therapy for osteoarthritis
gene therapy for color blindness
gene therapy of the human retina
gene therapy in Parkinsons disease
by epigenetics: epigenetic therapy
by proteins: protein therapy (but many drugs are proteins despite not being called protein therapy)
by enzymes: enzyme replacement therapy
by hormones: hormone therapy
hormonal therapy (oncology)
hormone replacement therapy
estrogen replacement therapy
androgen replacement therapy
hormone replacement therapy (menopause)
transgender hormone therapy
feminizing hormone therapy
masculinizing hormone therapy
antihormone therapy
androgen deprivation therapy
by whole cells: cell therapy (cytotherapy)
by stem cells: stem cell therapy
by immune cells: see immune system products below
by immune system products: immunotherapy, host modulatory therapy
by immune cells:
T-cell vaccination
cell transfer therapy
autologous immune enhancement therapy
TK cell therapy
by humoral immune factors: antibody therapy
by whole serum: serotherapy, including antiserum therapy
by immunoglobulins: immunoglobulin therapy
by monoclonal antibodies: monoclonal antibody therapy
by urine: urine therapy (some scientific forms; many prescientific or pseudoscientific forms)
by food and dietary choices:
medical nutrition therapy
grape therapy (quackery)
by salts (but many drugs are the salts of organic acids, even when drug therapy is not called by names reflecting that)
by salts in the air
by natural dry salt air: "taking the cure" in desert locales (especially common in prescientific medicine; for example, one 19th-century way to treat tuberculosis)
by artificial dry salt air:
low-humidity forms of speleotherapy
negative air ionization therapy
by moist salt air:
by natural moist salt air: seaside cure (especially common in prescientific medicine)
by artificial moist salt air: water vapor forms of speleotherapy
by salts in the water
by mineral water: spa cure ("taking the waters") (especially common in prescientific medicine)
by seawater: seaside cure (especially common in prescientific medicine)
by aroma: aromatherapy
by other materials with mechanism of action unknown
by occlusion with duct tape: duct tape occlusion therapy

By energy
by electric energy as electric current: electrotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Vagus nerve stimulation
by magnetic energy:
magnet therapy
pulsed electromagnetic field therapy
magnetic resonance therapy
by electromagnetic radiation (EMR):
by light: light therapy (phototherapy)
ultraviolet light therapy
PUVA therapy
photodynamic therapy
photothermal therapy
cytoluminescent therapy
blood irradiation therapy
by darkness: dark therapy
by lasers: laser therapy
low level laser therapy
by gamma rays: radiosurgery
Gamma Knife radiosurgery
stereotactic radiation therapy
cobalt therapy
by radiation generally: radiation therapy (radiotherapy)
intraoperative radiation therapy
by EMR particles:
particle therapy
proton therapy
electron therapy
intraoperative electron radiation therapy
Auger therapy
neutron therapy
fast neutron therapy
neutron capture therapy of cancer
by radioisotopes emitting EMR:
by nuclear medicine
by brachytherapy
quackery type: electromagnetic therapy (alternative medicine)
by mechanical: manual therapy as massotherapy and therapy by exercise as in physical therapy
inversion therapy
by sound:
by ultrasound:
ultrasonic lithotripsy
extracorporeal shockwave therapy
sonodynamic therapy
by music: music therapy
by temperature
by heat: heat therapy (thermotherapy)
by moderately elevated ambient temperatures: hyperthermia therapy
by dry warm surroundings: Waon therapy
by dry or humid warm surroundings: sauna, including infrared sauna, for sweat therapy
by cold:
by extreme cold to specific tissue volumes: cryotherapy
by ice and compression: cold compression therapy
by ambient cold: hypothermia therapy for neonatal encephalopathy
by hot and cold alternation: contrast bath therapy

By procedure and human interaction
Surgery
by counseling, such as psychotherapy (see also: list of psychotherapies)
systemic therapy
by group psychotherapy
by cognitive behavioral therapy
by cognitive therapy
by behaviour therapy
by dialectical behavior therapy
by cognitive emotional behavioral therapy
by cognitive rehabilitation therapy
by family therapy
by education
by psychoeducation
by information therapy
by speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, vision therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic or acupuncture
by lifestyle modifications, such as avoiding unhealthy food or maintaining a predictable sleep schedule
by coaching

By animal interaction
by pets, assistance animals, or working animals: animal-assisted therapy
by horses: equine therapy, hippotherapy
by dogs: pet therapy with therapy dogs, including grief therapy dogs
by cats: pet therapy with therapy cats
by fish: ichthyotherapy (wading with fish), aquarium therapy (watching fish)
by maggots: maggot therapy
by worms:
by internal worms: helminthic therapy
by leeches: leech therapy
by immersion: animal bath

By meditation
by mindfulness: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

By reading
by bibliotherapy

By creativity
by expression: expressive therapy
by writing: writing therapy
journal therapy
by play: play therapy
by art: art therapy
sensory art therapy
comic book therapy
by gardening: horticultural therapy
by dance: dance therapy
by drama: drama therapy
by recreation: recreational therapy
by music: music therapy

By sleeping and waking
by deep sleep: deep sleep therapy
by sleep deprivation: wake therapy

See also
Biophilia hypothesis
Classification of Pharmaco-Therapeutic Referrals
Cure
Interventionism (medicine)
Inverse benefit law
List of therapies
Greyhound therapy
Mature minor doctrine
Medicine
Medication
Nutraceutical
Prevention
Psychotherapy
Treatment as prevention
Therapeutic inertia
Therapeutic nihilism, the idea that treatment is useless

References
External links
 Media related to Therapies at Wikimedia Commons
 The dictionary definition of therapy at Wiktionary
"Chapter Nine of the Book of Medicine Dedicated to Mansur, with the Commentary of Sillanus de Nigris" is a Latin book by Rhazes, from 1483, that is known for its ninth chapter, which is about therapeutics