Depression

Treatment for Depression from a Cognitive-Behavioral Approach
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses affecting people in the United States every day. Aaron Beck, a pioneer of cognitive psychology, introduced a cognitive approach at understanding and treating depression. The cognitive approach suggests that people diagnosed with this disorder can benefit from treatment that pushes to eliminate negative thoughts and distorted perceptions. Although the cognitive model is effective in treating depression, the combination of the behavioral and the cognitive approach (cognitive-behavioral therapy) has been proven to be more effective in treating patients. Thus, cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most recognized and widely used therapies for the successful treatment of depression.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is known to be short-term, goal-oriented, and educational. The average number of sessions for treatment in depression is usually about fifteen sessions, however, more severe cases may require a longer period. It is common for therapists to ask their patients to write down short-term and long-term goals they wish to achieve; this goal-setting approach allows the patient to realize that solutions exist. During the first session, it is important for the individual to recognize that depression is caused by faulty cognitions. By educating the individual about his/her condition, the therapist is able to make the individual aware of why he/she is feeling the way they are. In addition, this approach places high emphasis on creating a positive and accommodating environment that is supportive for the individual receiving the treatment. The ultimate goal is to terminate the patient’s negative thoughts, and balance thos...

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...his depression. The therapist used the techniques of agenda setting, cognitive reconstructing interventions, behavioral techniques, problem-solving strategies, and parental training. The 6-month treatment proved to be effective when the treatment outcomes were conducted; the boy was able to now cope with stress effectively. Thus, cognitive behavioral therapy proved its efficacy in treating depression in adolescents.
It can be concluded that using the cognitive-behavioral approach to treat depression is effective in both the short-run and the long-run. There is substantial evidence that supports the idea that CBT is the best therapy to treat depression when compared to other psychological treatments. By changing people’s negative thoughts into more realistic cognitions, therapists using this approach can provide tactics to eliminate depressive symptoms.