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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is based on the principle that our thoughts and behaviour affect our emotions, and that changing the way we think and act will change the way we feel.
CBT is the preferred method of treatment for anxiety and depression in the National Health Service in the UK. More research has been conducted into effectiveness of CBT than most other therapeutic modalities, and the National Institue for Clinical Excellence recommends it for treatment of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Many programmes for treatment of addictions and eating disorders are based on CBT.
Through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, the government has put in enourmous resources into training thousands of new CBT therapists, to treat hundreds of thousands of people diagnosed with the most common mental health conditions (depression, social anxiety, generalised anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, health anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, specific phobia), so the waiting lists are getting shorter now in most areas. In the past you could have waited for 2 years or more for your initial appointment (which was clearly not terribly helpful if you were suffering from panic attacks, PTSD, obsessive compulsive disorder or other distressing issues).
There is still a controversy raging regarding whether CBT is indeed the most effective treatment for the array of psychological and emotional difficulties, and therapists in other modalities are often critical of the apparent CBT monopoly in the NHS. Some believe that its effects are short-term.
However, CBT does offer a wide range of self-help approaches and tools, and I remember using it when I was 7 years old to treat myself for a spider phobia and later for my social anxiety. Obviously I didn’t know that I was doing CBT – but that is just an example of how common sense the cognitive behavioural approaches can be!
The internet is brimming with resources and information on CBT, and some of the most useful in my opinion are:
Computerised CBT self-help programmes, including Beating the Blues, are becoming available throughout the UK. In Greater Manchester they are provided by Self-Help Services and some Primary Care Trusts. If you are suffering with anxiety or depression, you can get a referral to your local Primary Care Mental Health Team or Psychological Services via your GP.
Hi Masha – and many thanks for this.
Without wanting to sound too dramatic CBT and sobriety definitely saved my life! That does sound a bit dramatic doesn’t it – oh well.
While I don’t feel completely cured of anxiety (and associated depression) and am still on medication, I am confident in the tools that CBT has given me to manage the condition.
I do not want to make judgements on other approaches as each will have value for different individuals. But I would say to people who are struggling with issues that it is definitely worth exploring.
Hi Michaela – no it doesn’t sound dramatic at all, I think when we do find something that works for us, it can be a truly revolutionary moment in our lives, and if this “something” happens to work as a self-help tool then even better – we can keep it and use it forever – hence I am so keen on exploring and sharing a wide range of such tools. I found CBT exceptionally useful, though I personally wouldn’t be without NLP and EFT – and they all combine very nicely anyway.
Hi Masha,
Thanks for highlighting these on-line resources, and thanks for the info on CBT.
