Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for Depression Treatment

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for Depression Treatment

Cognitive Behavior Therapy was developed as a treatment for depression in the mid 1950s and early 1960s. It works on the principle that our feelings stem from the thoughts we choose to have and the messages we give to ourselves. At its simplest level, Cognitive Behavior Therapy suggest that by changing our thoughts, the way we think about things, and the messages we give to our self, we can literally change our feelings, and transform our mood. It sounds ridiculously simplistic, but research shows it can be effective.

Cognitive Behavior Therapists are less interested in delving in detail into a person's past, and more concerned with what a person's problems are today and healing them to overcome them. A Cognitive Behavior Therapist is more interested in what the present problem is, not what might have caused it. It tends to be very effective with problems such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and phobias too.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy starts from the premise that we tend to confuse feelings with facts and are prone to distorted kinds of thinking. Someone who has a series of unsuccessful relationships, for example, may wrongly start to believe they are unlovable.

So what does Cognitive Behavior Therapy involve?

The therapist aims to helps a client to overcome faulty thinking, such as over generalization about people or situations, all-or-nothing thinking, or blinkered thinking that homes in on the negative and always ignores the positive aspect of any given situation. The therapist will help a depressed person / client to understand how negative thoughts influence feelings and mood, and help them to latch on to a more accurate and logical way of thinking. The therapist will also help a depression sufferer to devise more effective coping strategies to treat and cure depression problem and to make them feel better, set goals, and even homework.

If you like this page, please post it on: