Part 7 - C.B.T.

"Again and Again" - Taproot

The following definition is taken from http://www.enotes.com/gale-psychology-encyclopedia/ ; an on-line encyclopaedia of psychological terms and illnesses:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy - A therapeutic approach based on the principle that maladaptive moods and behaviour can be changed by replacing distorted or inappropriate ways of thinking with thought patterns that are healthier and more realistic.

C.B.T. is always the first port of call for all depression therapy. It’s been a tried and tested method of, not so much curing the disorder, but of how to manage and control it. Most people that are diagnosed with depression will at some point, come to the realisation that this is a life long illness, but C.B.T. helps sufferers to recognise when depression is "active", and teaches skills to combat the vicious cycle that depression and the thoughts associated with it, can become.

When suffering depression, a small incident can become the end of the world. Speaking from experience, I have had times when a run of the mill disagreement with a friend can lead to me having suicidal thoughts. This is pretty normal behaviour for sufferers of depression. And very often, one "bad" (or depression controlled) thought, can lead to further, more intense "bad" thoughts, until there is either intervention, or a self-destructive climax to the event. C.B.T is about learning to recognise when these thoughts patterns are beginning, and due to this awareness, stopping the build up and escalation of these thoughts from continuing.

The first way that I was taught how to stop these thoughts was "elastic band therapy". This part of C.B.T. therapy involves negative reinforcement. I had to wear an elastic band on my wrist, and every time I had a "bad" thought I had to flick it. Really hard. And it hurt. Like hell. This would then, due to the negative reinforcement, subconsciously discourage me from pursuing these thought patterns. This is a very basic psychological principle, but with persistence, it can work for younger depression sufferers, whose depressive behaviour isn’t as habitual. And it did work for me for a short time. However, there was a lot more to come yet, that would mean than I would require more help than an elastic band could provide.