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Summary The cognitive approach to treating depression
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Notes on treating depression
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The cognitive approach to treating depressionKey terms
- Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT): a method for treating mental disorders based on
both cognitive and behavioural techniques. From the cognitive viewpoint, the therapy
aims to deal with thinking, such as challenging negative thoughts. The therapy also
includes behavioural techniques such as behavioural activation
- Irrational thoughts: also called dysfunctional thoughts, in Ellis’ model and therapy, these
are defined as thoughts that are likely to interfere with a person’s happiness. Such
dysfunctional thoughts lead to mental disorders such as depression
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
CBT is the most commonly used psychological treatment for depression and a range of other
mental health problems
- If you see a clinical psychologist for a mental health problem, the chances are you will
receive CBT
CBT begins with an assessment in which the patient and the cognitive behaviour therapist work
together to clarify the patient’s problems
- They jointly identify goals for the therapy and put together a plan to achieve them
- One of the central tasks is to identify where there might be negative or irrational thoughts
that will benefit from challenge
CBT then involves working to change negative and irrational thoughts, and finally put more
effective behaviours into place
- Some cognitive behaviour therapists do this using techniques from Beck’s cognitive
therapy and some rely exclusively on Ellis’ rational emotive behaviour therapy, but most
draw on both
CBT: Beck’s cognitive therapy
Cognitive therapy is the application of Beck’s cognitive theory of depression
- The idea behind cognitive therapy is to identify automatic negative thoughts about the
world, the future and the self - this is the negative triad
- Once identified, these thoughts must be challenged
- This is the central component of the therapy
As well as challenging these thoughts directly, cognitive therapy aims to help patients test the
reality of their negative beliefs
- They might be set homework such as to record when they enjoyed an event of when
people were nice to them
- This is sometimes referred to as ‘patient as scientist’, as the patient is
investigating the reality of their negative beliefs the way a scientist would
- In future sessions, if the patient says ‘no one is nice to me’ or ‘there is no point going to
events’, then the therapist can produce this evidence and use it to prove the patient’s
statements are incorrect
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