If you or someone close to you suffers from depression, you
know that it is a very serious and potentially dangerous
illness. Fortunately, over the years, the health care
community has discovered several different treatment
options, which prove effective in giving someone with
depression a chance at a more normal life. One of the most
proven and effective methods of treating mental health
disorders is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT, as it is
known, is a treatment for several mental health issues, but
has been found to be especially helpful for sufferers of
depression.
Depression is an illness that can show itself in a few
different ways, ranging from a lingering feeling of sadness
and resulting lack of energy, to thoughts of suicide. One
surefire sign of this condition is when one starts to lose
interest or motivation to engage in activities that they
normally enjoy. Another common sign is when someone isolates
socially, which can occur in a few different ways: either
through an extreme and total withdrawal, a withdrawal that
seems to occur cyclically, or one that is more singular and
situational - as in an understandable response to a death or
divorce.
Cognitive therapy treats your depression by essentially
making you your own therapist. It does this first by making
you aware of NAT's or Negative Automatic Thoughts. It then
proceeds by using its four basic tenets:
1. Challenge negative thoughts: In CBT, awareness is the
key. This step teaches you to be aware of when negative
thoughts arise. In doing this, it helps you discover whether
certain situations trigger moods, or whether the thoughts
occur first, and essentially create the negative situation.
2. Challenge core beliefs: During childhood, we form ideas
about ourselves which, whether there is any truth to them or
not, can be hard to change. This step involves shedding light
on, and beginning to modify, long-held negative beliefs about
yourself.
3. Behavioral activation: Learning what experiences engender
positive thoughts, and how to reinforce and expand these
experiences.
4. Behavioral experiments: In this stage you will be
experimenting with your positive triggers, to see if
improved moods will in fact occur.
As you can see, CBT is largely about creating awareness of
your moods, and learning to observe your own triggers and
resulting behaviors. If you or someone you care about is
suffering from depression, the time to do something about it
is now, and CBT is a proven and highly effective method of
treatment.
About the Author:
Stephen Daniels is an acclaimed http://netbiz.com internet
marketing strategist. If you are in need of a psychologist
in New York City, who has experience treating mental health
issues with cognitive behavioral therapy, he recommends
http://www.cbtdbtassociates.com .
