Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

CBT is a form of psychological therapy that may be very beneficial for people who tend to have a habitual negative way of thinking that may or may not result in depression.  CBT in fact, goes beyond treatment for depression and may be better described as a program that helps people recognise negative thinking patterns and provides tools to assist positive change.

For Clinical Depression, a combination of antidepressant medication and CBT is the most advocated treatment in Australia, however, this ultimately depends on the cause, type and severity of the depression i.e. if the cause is biological, then CBT may be irrelevant.

History of CBT

While CBT is a relatively new form of therapy for depression, early philosophers such as Socrates and Epitites, first documented the principles on which it is based, centuries ago. Epitites said "It is not the things of this world that hurt us but what we think about them" and this view is now widely accepted throughout mainstream psychology.

Uses of CBT

CBT is used in many psychological applications including a range of mood disorders such as depression, panic and anxiety disorders, and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

Depression and CBT

It is often very difficult to marshal the required discipline to focus on therapy when very depressed, hence medication may be useful in major depression in order to help alleviate the worst symptoms while undergoing therapy initially.

Some recent research has found that CBT alone may be an appropriate treatment for mild to moderate depression, and in the long term CBT has been found to be just as effective as anti-depressants. The Royal Australian College of Psychiatry state that CBT is the preferred treatment for Generalised Anxiety Disorder.
Two of the key benefits of CBT include prevention of relapse, and the provision of long term skills that help to improve overall mental health and wellbeing.

CBT practitioners

Most psychologists and some mental health practitioners are trained in CBT, however, very few GP’s or psychiatrists have had training hence they will refer you to a trained professional.  Often GPs will work in partnership with a psychologist or other therapist who can provide the CBT aspect of treatment.  depressionServices.org.au also has a database of ‘Depression Friendly’ Professionals.

References: 

Australian National University

Australian Psychological Society 

Black Dog Institute