Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a clinically established method for treating depression, and it is increasingly being offered as a treatment option in primary care. Various studies have suggested that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the most appropriate technique for the first-line treatment for Major Depression Disorder. This paper shows the risks and the benefits affiliated with Cognitive Behavioral for people diagnosed with depression. Using current research as the background, it aims to explore the following research questions; what are the benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients with depression? What are the risks associated with patients Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for patients with depression?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy the psychological method which entails adjusting the dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts by cross-examining a patient and removing kind of mental negativity. The evaluation of this study shows that this method advantages include; quick outcomes when contrasted with other methods. It is also quite engaging for both the patient and the therapist. Outcomes further show that it is highly effective as it reiterates recognizing, understanding, and changing the thinking and behavioral patterns. It can be used in different formats, including groups.
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In determining the effectiveness of the CBT in the treatment of anxiety disorders, Kodal et al. (2020), assessed the outcomes of CBT among 139 youths between 8 and 15 years. The participants had accessed CBT on average,3.5 years before the study. The study was the first to examine the effectiveness of CBT intervention in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The study focused on the services offered at the community health centers. It established a loss in the inclusion of anxiety disorders of SAD, GAD, and SOP among 53% of the study participants. It also established that there was no difference in symptom outcome evaluation and diagnosis between GCBT and GAD. Youths with SOP principal diagnosis, are less likely to report a loss in principal diagnosis in GAD. There was a significant improvement in diagnostic treatment outcomes, with 50% of the participants retaining their post-treatment traits. There was also a massive reduction in the symptoms of anxiety disorder.
Arguably, the anxiety construct of most anxiety disorders patients comprises of SOP, SAD, and GAD can be treated with the same CBT conditions. However, studies also indicate that people with SOP have poor responsiveness to CBT treatment compared to GAD and SAD. The study confirmed the improvement and retention of recovery during follow-ups to anxiety disorders after the CBT treatment. The outcomes of the post-treatments ranged significantly lower than efficacy and efficiency trials of the study. However, the improvements could be due to the delay of the treatment effect. Youths and their parents could have undergone prolonged phases of CBT intervention. In most cases, patients subjected to prolonged intervention have a good grasp of the CBT skills; hence they exercise them for prolonged periods.
The use of CBT in the treatment of anxiety disorders shows high effectiveness in the short-term treatments, with 60% of the patients reporting improved symptoms. However, the effectiveness of long-term conditions is low, with more studies into the topic expected to shed more light on the matter. CBT effectiveness in long-term conditions for anxiety disorder is promoted by the skills attained through the method. High effectiveness in using CBT in the treatment of anxiety disorders is due to these acquired skills, which last for more extended periods among patients. Kodal et al. (2020) study had several limitations, which could have impacted the validity and reliability of the results. For instance, it lacked a control group, meaning there was no evaluation of the association between long-term outcomes and treatment. Additionally, the study was based in Norway, where clients get charged, which implies that some youths may not be able to access the treatment due to low incomes. The study findings provide a basis for increased implementation of CBT programs in community health mental centers.
Another meta-analysis study by Zhang et al. (2018) shows that CBT is more efficacious in decreasing the risk of a depression relapse than control. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was only useful for a person with at least three previous depression disorders. In general, the study outcome was in agreement with previous studies. On the other hand, Zhang et al. (2018) employed meta-analysis to determine whether errors in review's sources were systematic or random, thus making the outcome of the review more reliable. During the review, it was discovered that while mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was better in reducing MDD relapse than the control, it did not work effectively compared with maintenance antidepressant medication.
The results also show that the intervention is associated with risks, including its dependence on the patient &commitment as it may be hard to achieve. Besides, it involves the confrontation of emotions and anxieties. The treatment also fails to address the underlying mental problems such as childhood experience. Conclusions: Results show that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is active for depression symptoms. It is also associated with many benefits which make it imperative for use in the patients. The benefits exceed the risks to show that the intervention should be used in primary care for patients with depression.
References
Kodal, A, Fjermestad, K, Bjellad, I., FGjestad, R., Ost, L. G., Bjaastad, J. F., Wergeland, G. J., (2020). Long-term effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth with anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 53, 58-67.
Zhang, Z., Zhang, L., Zhang, G., Jin, J., & Zheng, Z. (2018). The effect of CBT and its modifications for relapse prevention in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC, Psychiatry, 18 .