Psychological Treatment Methods for Depression-CBT

[Dexter]

Psychological Treatment Methods for Depression-CBT

Dexter C. Lim Beng Keong

Psychological Treatment Methods for Depression

This paper gives an overview of depression and scientific research on
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as psychotherapy, which is an effective
psychological treatment methods for depression, it can be used on
general group of people suffering from depression or depression with
different form of biologically disabilities such as with the
intellectually disabled people, cocaine dependent patients, people
with Parkinson disease, children and adolescences as well as mental
disorders arises from depression to achieve better mental health
state.

Depression comes in many different forms in different age band. It is
not known the causes of depression. It could be caused by an
accumulative mixture of different factors such as environment factor,
biological issues, individual's personality and individual's cognitive
process, outlook in spirituality or Philosophical perspective in life
when facing life crisis. The factors would leads to dejection,
hopelessness, the feeling of defeated and depressed. There are the
symptoms of depression and tell tales signs involving the physical and
emotional aspects of the individual (Nolan, 2000).

Nolan (2000) further stated that Depression, depending on the severity
of the condition, has a few common treatment methods such as using
psychotherapy or psychotherapy with pharmacotherapy. The common
psychotherapies are Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Interpersonal therapy
and Psychodynamic Therapy. The different therapy above could be used
as in different mode, either in-group or individual. The above
psychotherapies could be use alone or combination with pharmacotherapy
such as anti-depression medication.

Medication can help relieve the depressing symptoms of depressive
individual so the individual with the combination of psychotherapy by
their therapist to aid them in better understanding their condition
and work toward a better way coping life challenges or crisis.

Cognitive Behavioral therapy is used with people with intellectually
disabled people due to limited coping skills in life challenges or
life crisis (Jahoda, Dagnan, Jarvie & Kerr, 2006). CBT to alter
cognitive process of the depressive person from negative to
constructive patterns to achieve healthy perspectives of themselves
and improving malfunctioning of the individual through depression
stated by Beck (1967, cited in Jahoda et al., p. 81).

The diagnostic of depression could be on level of severity such as the
frequency, severity and duration of the condition to be diagnosed with
DSM IV-TR by psychiatrists (Jahoda et al., 2006). There are many
studies of the different age group and people suffering from different
ailments.

The study of Weisz,Carolyn and Valeri (2006) stated that there was
positive finding using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as psychotherapy
as a form of treatment for children and adolescent of depression.
Weisz et al.(2006) found out effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy was not in anyway inferiority compared to those treated with
non-cognitive approaches in the study.

In the study of Cognitive Behavioral in the pre-psychotic Phase of
cocaine dependent patients by Bechdolf, Veith, Schwarzer, Schormann,
Stamm, Janssen, Berning, Wagner and Klosterkotter (2004) stated that
Cognitive

Behavioral Therapy has showed significant result in prevention of
early stage of psychosis in cocaine dependent patients. Bechdolf el
al.(2004) stated that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has show
significant improvement in depressive symptoms especially in the pre-
psychosis stage. The deterioration from depression to early remission
of psychosis could be prevented using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
stated by McGlasen and Johanannessen (1996, cited in Bechdolf et al.,
2004, p. 252)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression and other conditions
related to different disorders arises from depression. Haby,
Donnelly, Corry and Vos (2006) stated that the efficiency of Cognitive
Behavior Therapy is not inferior compared in using pharmacotherapy
such as anti-depression medication for severe conditions. There have
been incentives given out by the Australia government to encourage
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to be use widely in government aided
healthcare institutions as a form of treatment for patients (Haby,
Donnelly, Corry & Vos, 2006).

In the treatment of depression using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for
people with Parkinson disease is more likely to be effective and
pharmacotherapy did not seem to be successful in treating depression
in people who have Parkinson disease. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is
used to alter the cognitive state of patients, helping patients to
modify distorted thoughts to achieve psychological, social and
biological well being (Cole & Vaughan, 2005).

Grant and Casey (1995) mentioned the effective used of the therapy had
no difference between age group suffering the same ailment except the
severity of the condition attributing to poor health or malfunctioning
of the cognitive process, thus the method used in the CBT has to be
adapted to different condition of patients.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a structure therapy which helps in the
modification of thought process usually the negatives one of the
environment, distorted world perspectives or self to onset behavioral
activation in clients to achieve better perspectives from negative set
of thoughts and behavior to reduce depressive symptoms, helping
clients to improve. It is also favorable using Cognitive therapy on
patients with chronic disease such as cancers; it has prominent effect
in reduction of depression symptoms and externalizing depressive
behavior (Cole & Vaughan, 2005).

In conclusion, Cognitive behavioral Therapy has been able to use to
treat depression across different group of people, age band and people
with different diseases or disabilities such as mental disorder,
intellectually challenged, depression in people suffering from
diseases as well as adolescent and children etc. Therapist should
assess individual's condition to cater Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to
achieve optimal results.
References

Jahoda, A., Dagnan, D., Jarvie, P., & Kerr, W.(2006). Depression,
Social Context and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for People who have
Intellectual Disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual
Disabilities, 19(1), 81-89.

Cole, K., Vaughan, F.L.(2005). The feasibility of using cognitive
behavior therapy for depression associated with Parkinson's disease: A
literature review. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 11(5),
269-276.

Haby, M.M., Donnelly, M., Corry, J. & Vos, T.(2006). Cognitive
behavioral therapy for repression, panic disorder and generalized
anxiety disorder: a meta-regression of factors that may predict
outcome. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40, 9.

Weisz, J.R.,Carolyn, C.A., & Valeri, S.M.(2006). Effects of
Psychotherapy for Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-
Analysis Psychological Bulletin, 132(1),132-149.

Bechdolf, A., Veith, V., Schwarzer, D., Schormann, M., Stamm, E.,
Janssen, B., Berning, J., Wagner, M., & Klosterkotter, J.(2004).
Cognitive deficits predict low treatment retention in cocaine
dependent patients.

Beck A.T.(1967). Depression: Experimental, and Theoretical Aspects.
Harper and Row, New York

Nolan, J. (2000), University of Texas in Austin, Counseling & Mental
Health Centre.

Depression. What is it? What to do about it? Retrieved on April 15,
2006 from The University of Texas in Austin Web site:
http://www.utexas.edu/student/cmhc/booklets/depression/depress.html#anchor750874