What is the 15 minute rule in OCD?
Written by the clinical team at The Lyceum Clinic. Clinically reviewed by Sanah Younis, Founder and Clinical Director, BABCP-accredited (no. 1000792). Published 28 October 2026. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.
Clinical perspective: The Lyceum's specialist therapist in OCD.
How are invisible compulsions treated?
Mental rituals (rumination, mental reviewing, counting, self-reassurance) are the stealth bombers of OCD. We treat them by making the invisible visible. The exposure is bringing the trigger to mind (e.g., reading a triggering article), and the 'Response Prevention' is assigning a competing cognitive task, or using a strict '15-minute delay' rule where they are forbidden from analysing the thought. We teach them to notice the urge to figure it out, and deliberately drop the rope.
For more detail, read about OCD therapy.