Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Depression

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Depression Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method of correcting invalid thought patterns to a more positive view of the person and their place in their world. Some people do not believe that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a real treatment for depression, claiming it is a form of positive thinking ("The Daily Mail," 2009). On the opposite end of the spectrum, others argue that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy should be used in all therapies for depression as it allows the patient to take an active role in their treatment. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the benefit of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a viable treatment of depression, either as a stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with other therapies. What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy appears to be a new treatment, although its roots can be traced to Albert Ellis’s Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy, published in 1962. Cognitive therapy assumes that thoughts precede actions and false self-beliefs cause negative emotions. It is now known that most depression treatments have cognitive components to them, whether they are recognized or not. In the 1970’s many psychologists began using cognitive components to describe depression. From there, they developed cognitive forms to treat depression with impressive results (Franklin, 2003). Patterns of Faulty Thinking Cognitive therapy recognizes ten common patterns of faulty thinking. “All-or-nothing thinking” refuses to see a middle ground and is characterized by the use of such words as always, never, and forever. This pattern can be recognized by statements such as “I will never pass this class”. “Overgeneralization” takes... ... middle of paper ... ...to Britain's depression 'epidemic'? (2009, March 17). The Daily Mail. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from The Daily Mail Web site: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1162512/Is-Cognitive-Behavioural-Therapy-really-answer-Britains-depression-epidemic.html# Leahy, R. (2010, October 30). The Cost of Depression. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from www.huffingtonpost.com Web site: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-leahy-phd/te-cost-of-depression_b_770875.html Mathers, C. D. (2006). Projections of Global Mortality and Burden of Disease from 2002 to 2030. Public Library of Science Medicine, 3(11), e442. April 16, 2011. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030442 McGrath, Ellen. (2003, April 11). The Rumination Rut. Psychology Today. van den Broek, W. (2009, March 10). Off To The MoodGym [Blog]. Available April 10, 2011, from http://www.findingoptimism.com/blog/index.php?s=MoodGym

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