Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Depression & Anxiety

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a well-documented treatment for depression and anxiety. CBT is a short-term therapy that focuses on learning constructive thoughts and behaviors to replace destructive ones.

Features

CBT is not a generalized treatment. CBT methods are specifically tailored for different types of anxiety and depression.

Cognitive Treatment

Cognitive treatment is one tenet of CBT, and it involves rewiring negative thoughts into positive ones. This method is rooted in the idea that thoughts stimulate moods.

Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral therapy, the second tenet of CBT, is often called "exposure therapy." It involves exposing yourself gradually to healthy behaviors.

Anxiety and CBT

CBT is considered the most effective long-term treatment for anxiety. Medications can temporarily curb the physical manifestations of anxiety, but they do not stop the destructive thought processes that cause anxiety to begin with.

Depression and CBT

Studies show CBT to be just as effective as medication in treating depression. But an advantage of CBT is that unlike medication, therapy does not have side effects.

References

• National Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists
• Social Anxiety Institute
• Psychology Information Online