Cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of depression Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a method of correcting invalid thought patterns towards a more positive vision of the person and his place in the world. Some people do not believe that cognitive behavioral therapy is a real treatment for depression, claiming that it is a form of positive thinking ("The Daily Mail", 2009). On the opposite end of the spectrum, others argue that cognitive behavioral therapy should be used in all therapies for depression because it allows the patient to take an active role in treatment. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy as a viable treatment for depression, both as a stand-alone therapy and in combination with other therapies. What is cognitive behavioral therapy? Cognitive behavioral therapy appears to be a new treatment, although its roots can be traced to Albert Ellis's Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy, published in 1962. Cognitive therapy assumes that thoughts precede actions and that false beliefs about oneself cause negative emotions. It is now known that most treatments for depression have cognitive components, whether they are recognized or not. In the 1970s, many psychologists began using cognitive components to describe depression. From there, they developed cognitive forms to treat depression with impressive results (Franklin, 2003). Patterns of Faulty Thinking Cognitive therapy recognizes ten common patterns of faulty thinking. “All or nothing thinking” refuses to see a middle ground and is characterized by the use of words such as always, never, and forever. This pattern can be recognized by statements such as “I will never pass this course.” Does 'overgeneralisation' lead to... middle of paper... the British depression 'epidemic'? (2009, March 17). The daily mail. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from the Daily Mail website: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1162512/Is-Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-really-answer-Britains-depression-epidemic.html # Leahy, R. (2010, October 30). The cost of depression. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from www.huffingtonpost.com: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-leahy-phd/te-cost-of-depression_b_770875.htmlMathers, C. D. (2006). Projections of global mortality and disease burden from 2002 to 2030. Public Library of Science and Medicine, 3(11), e442. April 16, 2011. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030442McGrath, Ellen. (2003, April 11). The rumination routine. Psychology Today.van den Broek, W. (2009, March 10). Off to MoodGym [Blog]. Available April 10, 2011 from http://www.findingoptimism.com/blog/index.php?s=MoodGym