Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Flashcards
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy
that can help patients manage their problems by
changing the way they think (cognitive) and what they do
(behaviour).
* These changes can help the patient feel better.
* It’s most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression,
but can be useful for other mental and physical health
problems
When is CBT used?
CBT has been shown to be an effective way of treating a number of
different mental health conditions.
In addition to depression or anxiety disorders, CBT can also help
people with:
* Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
* Panic disorder.
* Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
* Phobias.
* Bipolar disorder.
* Psychosis.
* Anger.
* Low self-esteem.
* Eating disorders – E.g. anorexia and bulimia.
* Sleep problems – E.g. insomnia.
* Problems related to alcohol misuse
CBT is also sometimes used to treat people with long-term health
conditions, such as:
* Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
* Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
* Chronic pain syndrome.
Although CBT can’t cure the physical symptoms of these conditions, it
can help people cope better with their symptoms.
What happens during a CBT session?
30 – 60 minute session, once a week or once every two weeks. The
course of treatment usually lasts for between 5 and 20 sessions.
* The patient (Pt) and therapist work together to break down the problems
into separate parts – such as thoughts, physical feelings and actions.
* The Pt and therapist analyse these areas to work out if they’re unrealistic
or unhelpful and to determine the effect they have on each other and on
the Pt. The therapist will then be able to advise how to change unhelpful
thoughts and behaviours.
* After working out what the Pt can change, the Pt will be asked to practise
these changes in their daily life and then discuss how successful this was
during the next session.
* The eventual aim of therapy is to teach the Pt to apply the skills learnt
during treatment to their daily life.
* This helps Pts manage their problems and stop them having a negative
impact on their lives – even after the course of treatment finishes
How does CBT work?
CBT is based on the concept that our thoughts, feelings, physical
sensations and actions are interconnected, and that negative
thoughts and feelings can trap us in a vicious cycle.
* CBT aims to help patients deal with overwhelming problems in a
more positive way by breaking them down into smaller parts.
Patients are shown how to change these negative patterns to
improve the way they feel.
* Unlike some other talking treatments, CBT deals with the current
problems, the ‘here and now’ rather than focusing on issues from
the past. It looks for practical ways to improve patients state of
mind on a daily basis
What 5 areas of assessment can CBT be broken down into?
A Situation - a problem, event or difficult situation. From this can follow:
2) Thoughts
3) Emotions
4) Physical feelings
5) Actions / behaviour
What are cognitive distortions?
Cognitive distortions are ways that our mind convinces us of something
that isn’t really true. Reinforces negative thinking or emotions
What is Arbitrary Inference (Cognitive distortion)?
“Jumping to conclusions” not supported by
evidence. Eg “She crossed the road to avoid me, I must have upset her”.
What is Selective Abstraction (Cognitive distortion)?
“Blowing it out of proportion”. Judging the
whole on the basis of a small negative. Focusing on a detail taken out of context, ignoring other more salient features, and conceptualizing whole experience based on this element. Eg “One person has been saying negative things about me so why would anyone like me?”
What is Personalisation (Cognitive distortion)?
Inappropriately relating external events to oneself without
an obvious basis for making such connections. Tendency to feel responsible for things that are out of their control. “It was my fault they did not enjoy the film”.
What is Dichotomous Thinking (Cognitive distortion)?
“Black or white”, “All or nothing thinking”, Viewing
a situation in only two categories instead of on a continuum Eg “If I’m not a total success, I’m a failure”
What is Magnification / Minimisation (Cognitive distortion)?
Here the individual has a tendency to
exaggerate the importance of negative information or experiences, while trivialising or reducing the significance of positive information or experiences.
Eg “He noticed I spilled something on my shirt. I know he said he will go out with me again, but I bet he doesn’t call.” “Getting good grades doesn’t mean
I’m smart.”
What is Overgeneralisation (Cognitive distortion)?
A single incident or person serves as a basis for
judging all instances in the same way. Eg “I forgot to finish that project on time. I never do things right”.
What is Catastrophising (Cognitive distortion)?
Predict the future negatively without considering
other, more likely outcomes. Eg “I’m going to make a fool of myself and people will laugh at me”.
What is Disqualification or discounting (Cognitive distortion?)
When a compliment or favourable
outcome is transmuted into something negative. “I did well on the project not because I’m good, I got lucky”.
What is mind reading (Cognitive distortion?)
Making assumptions about other people’s thoughts,
feelings and behaviours without checking the evidence. Eg “Molly is talking to John so she must like him more than me”, or “I could tell he thought I was stupid in the interview”
