Cognitive therapy for depression
There is today a broad consensus for cognitive therapy being the most effective psychological form of treatment for depression. Cognitive therapy is superior compared to other therapies when it comes to treating acute symptoms of depression and preventing relapses. Cognitive therapy for treatment of depression can focus on:
- changing negative and destructive thought processes
- changing inappropriate behaviour, which aggravates the problems
- easing traumatic experiences and reducing psychological pain
- activating and solving problems
- building up self-worth and social skills
- improving communication
- providing acute help with suicidal thoughts and threats of suicide
- reducing the probability of relapses
One of the most difficult aspects of depression is being so low and anxious that you cannot find any way out! You feel helpless and perhaps think that you cannot stand life anymore. You cannot see any prospect of improving. These are all symptoms. Depression needs to be treated as quickly as possible. The best treatment is a combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy (cognitive behavioural therapy). The medicine increases your motivation, energy, appetite and concentration level as well as helps you distance yourself from negative thoughts. Consequently, you can then benefit more from the psychotherapeutic treatment. With cognitive behavioural treatment, you will learn to analyze the connection between thoughts, feelings, behaviour, and the body's physical reactions. When you can analyze the connection between these, you will find it easier to relate realistically to what is happening to you. It will also become easier for you to react well in a critical situation.
Advantages of cognitive behavioural treatment
The best thing about cognitive behavioural treatment is that you learn something which you can use throughout your life. You will learn:
- principles of problem-solving
- to distinguish between symptoms and real events
- to handle life's difficulties
- to control episodes of bad and depressed moods
- to regulate feelings
- to improve your skills