cog treats for depression Flashcards
Support for the effectiveness of CBT
there have been numerous
studies that have shown that CBT is effective in reducing symptoms
of moderate and severe depression and in preventing relapse, especially for those who only have depression. March (2007) compared the effects of CBT, with antidepressant drugs and a combination of the two in 327 adolescents with a main diagnosis of depression. After 36 weeks,
81% of the CBT group and 81 % of the antidepressant group and 86% of the combined group were significantly improved. The high percentage in the CBT group suggests that CBT is very effective in treating depression. However, it also suggests that it may be even more effective when used as a combined treatment alongside medication.
Competence of Therapist (effective)
one issue with assessing the effectiveness of CBT is the competence of the therapist, this appears to explain a significant amount of variation in CBT outcomes. Kuyken (2009) supports this claim, concluding that as much as 15% of the variance in outcome may be attributed to therapist competence. They found that the therapists who were assessed as most competent had better patient outcomes regardless of the complexity of the case. It appears that to some extent the effectiveness of CBT depends upon the training and skills of the
therapist.
Factors affecting the choice of treatment- appropriate
a strength of CBT can be seen in how its techniques are appropriate for use in a wide variety of situations and modes of delivery e.g. interactive software programmes. It has been used successfully with people of all ages with degrees of
depression from mild to severe. However, in some cases the depression can be so severe that
patients cannot motivate themselves to engage with the hard cognitive work of CBT. They may
not also be able to pay attention to what is happening in a session. In these cases, antidepressant
medication is better to use in the short term. Furthermore, there are the time constraints and the financial costs of CBT to consider compared to drug therapy. Therefore, a range of factors
need to be considered when weighing up the costs and benefits of CBT as an appropriate therapy
in treating depression
