Cognitive-behavioral therapy of depression

Abstract

The cognitive-behavioral causal model of depression is the model with the most empirical evidence in treating depression. Studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for depression and is comparable in effectiveness to antidepressants and others psychotherapies. It also reduces relapse rates because it teaches techniques that can be used even after a person leaves therapy. The task of cognitive-behavioral therapy is partly to understand how the components of emotions, behaviors, physical state and thoughts interrelate, and how they may be influenced by external stimuli, including events which may have occurred early in the client’s life. The most prominent proponent of the cognitive model of de­pression is Aaron Beck. In the first part the author describes traditional cognitive and behavioral models of depression. In the second part he discusses the efficiency of the cognitive-behavioral model. And in the last part he describes the process of cognitive-behavioral therapy of depression.