Depression is a common mental health disorder. It’s more than feeling down or sad. It’s more about a long-term mood that affects all aspects of one’s life. Symptoms range from fatigue and irritability to the inability to complete basic daily functions. Left unchecked, depression can lead to self-harm and suicidal ideation.
One way to make sure depression is not left unchecked is therapy. More specifically, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has a stellar track record for forms of depression like Major Depressive Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Situational Depression, Persistent Depressive Disorder, and Postpartum Depression. But what is CBT, and how does it help people struggling with depression?
What is CBT?
CBT is all about identifying the factors in your current life that are causing you distress. It’s not that the past is ignored, but the focus remains primarily on what is happening now. Also, CBT is a short-term treatment, usually lasting 20 sessions or less. During those sessions, you will reveal and address distorted thoughts patterns like:
– Automatic negative thoughts
– Core beliefs
– Overgeneralization
– Black-and-white thinking
– Taking everything personally
– Filtering out the negative and centering the positive
Identifying these patterns is empowering. When you can name the causes of your problems, they immediately become less mysterious. Working with your CBT therapist, you will develop skills and techniques like Cognitive Restructuring, e.g.
– Using self-talk to create more balance in your thinking and beliefs
– Modifying thought patterns to make them work for you instead of against you
– Becoming more adept at assessing external situations and, thus, how you respond to them
– Relying on careful self-evaluation rather than knee-jerk emotions and/or external guideposts
One of the goals of CBT is to use these tools outside the therapy room and long after you’ve completed the protocol.
A Few More Common CBT Techniques Used for Depression
Scheduling
A major challenge for someone with depression is completing basic but necessary activities. CBT guides us into a routine of scheduling such tasks. Leaving things to chance is not productive when depressed. Having a visible schedule to follow makes things easier. Also, checking things off your list feels like its own reward.
Journaling
This practice is widely recommended — with or without any kind of disorder. For depression, it is especially helpful to monitor the triggers, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours that make up your current life. Here is where you can apply another CBT tactic: fact-checking. Since depression is always lying to you, consider this your reminder that you can challenge anything and everything it claims to be true. All of this increases self-awareness and the likelihood that you will apply your new skills to shift the landscape.
ABC
Building on your journaling, ABC is a more specific way to recognize what you’re doing and why. A identifies the “activating” event. B represents your “beliefs” as they relate to that trigger. C is “consequences” — what feelings and actions were provoked by A and B? When situations are broken down so clearly, they are suddenly more obvious and feel more fixable.
Breaking It Down
Another way to break things down is by slicing large efforts into smaller parts. By doing so, you:
– Feel less overwhelmed
– Have more chances to celebrate a victory
– Are less daunted by big tasks in the future
Mindful Meditation
Depression can scatter your thoughts and focus. You feel less able to identify your wants and needs and more susceptible to the whims of the external world. Meditation brings you back to the present moment. Mindfulness allows you to witness your negative thought patterns without shame or guilt.
If you need help with depression, CBT could be the right choice. At Onyx, our therapists can talk with you about CBT and guide you onto the path toward managing depression symptoms.Reach out to our office today.
