Depression is classified as a mood disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Some symptoms of depression include depressed mood, lack of pleasure in enjoyable activities, changes in appetite, excessive fatigue and thoughts of suicide. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an effective treatment for depression. Behavior modification techniques are included in CBT, as the approach views cognitions and behavior as having an interactive relationship.
Exercise
Exercise is one behavior modification technique used to help treat depression. According to a review of research published in the June 1999 issue of “Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,” the mood of individuals with depression improved with regular exercise. Exercise is believed to release endorphins, or biochemicals that help people feel good.
Engaging in Activities
Fatigue, lethargy and loss of pleasure are symptoms of depression. Increasing activity levels helps decrease these symptoms, put fun back into the lives of depressed individuals, and improve mood. A psychotherapist using the CBT approach helps the depressed individual to identify pleasurable activities to engage in on a daily and weekly basis, as described in “Behavior Modification: What It Is and How to Do It” by Dr. Garry Martin and Dr. Joseph Pear. Depressed individuals often neglect common tasks, such as bathing, cooking, housecleaning and shopping. The psychotherapist helps the individual to re-establish these behaviors.
Monitoring Thoughts
Negative or faulty thinking contributes to depression. Psychotherapists using CBT help depressed individuals to become more aware of their thinking patterns and to recognize the cognitions contributing to depression, as described by Martin and Pear. Thoughts that precede such emotions as sadness, anxiety and anger are explored in therapy sessions and depressed individuals are instructed by psychotherapists to monitor and log their thought processes between sessions. After identifying thought patterns leading to a depressed mood, individuals are taught how to substitute faulty cognitions with more neutral or realistic thoughts.
Testing Maladaptive Thinking
After learning more about automatic thoughts, depressed individuals are instructed to test their faulty thinking, according to Martin and Pear. For example, a person who must make a presentation might think, “I will make a fool of myself and my colleagues will think that I am stupid.” The psychotherapist may instruct the individual to make the presentation, predict the reaction of colleagues, and see what really happens. Predicting and seeing the real outcome helps the individual realize that the prediction is often incorrect.
Skills Training
According to Martin and Pear, the depressed individual receives social skills training, such as making conversation, when the person exhibits social skills deficits. Assertiveness training is provided for those who need assistance with speaking up for themselves or setting boundaries with others. Problem-solving training provides guidance in taking appropriate steps to resolving dilemmas.
References
- “Behavior Modification: What It Is and How to Do It”; Garry Martin, Ph.D. and Joseph Pear, Ph.D.; 1999.
- “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision”; American Psychiatric Association; 2002.
- “Professional Psychology: Research and Practice”; Exercise Therapy for Patients With Psychiatric Disorders: Research and Clinical Implications; Gregg Tkachuk and Garry Martin. Ph.D.; June 1999.
