Cognitive behavioural theme

• A highly structured programme involving 1-1 sessions with a therapist
• The therapist first gets the client to recognize their irrational thoughts e.g. 'everyone hates me',
• The therapist then gets the client to provide evidence of events in their life that the therapist uses to challenge these thoughts. EG- 'if everyone hates you, why did multiple people send you a birthday card?' The therapist sets homework that encourages the client to engage in reality testing where compare their negative thinking to evidence in the real world. They also get clients to write diaries to identify situations in which negative thinking occurs so that these can be targeted.
• There is the practical benefit that CBT can be accessed via the NHS; however the waiting list is long
• CBT is time consuming and requires a lot of dedication from patient. If their depression so severe it is preventing them from getting to work it is likely to prevent them from getting a therapy session also. Many patients do not recover as they fail to attend sessions.
• As CBT is highly structured and requires dedication to tasks and 'homework', it may not be suitable for depressed patients who have learning difficulties as they would not be able to carry out the tasks required effectively.