What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and which conditions is CBT used to treat?
If your doctor has mentioned CBT, this is what you need to know
LIVING with a mental health condition does not necessarily mean someone has to take daily medication.
Many people live happy and healthy lives with the help of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Here's what it's all about...
What is Cognitive behavioural therapy?
CBT is a type of talking therapy, which aims to help people manage their problems by changing the way they think.
The therapy is based on the concept that thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are all interconnected - and negative thoughts can trap you in a vicious cycle.
During CBT sessions, the therapist will encourage their patient to break their seemingly overwhelming problems into smaller parts.
It deals wholly with current problems, rather than focusing on issues from the patient's past.
The CBT therapist will look for practical ways for the patient to improve their state of mind on a daily basis.
What conditions is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy used to treat?
CBT can be used to treat a whole range of mental health conditions either instead of, or alongside, medical treatment.
While Loose Women panellist Denise Welch credits CBT with helping her lose weight and quit smoking.
In addition to these mental health problems, CBT can also help with long-term conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic fatigue symptoms (CFS).
Although it won't cure the physical symptoms of these conditions, CBT can help people cope better.
CBT can be effective in treating:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Phobias
- Eating disorders (such as anorexia and bulimia)
- Insomnia
- Alcohol misuse
What happens during Cognitive Behavioural Therapy sessions?
CBT is normally broken down in between five and 20 sessions, each lasting between half an hour and one hour.
During each session, you will work with your therapist to break down your problems into separate parts - and distinguish between your thoughts, physical feelings and actions.
The therapist will then help working out if these thoughts, feelings and actions are unrealistic or unhelpful, and what effect they have.
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After working out what could be changed, the therapist will ask you to practice putting these processes into action.
The aim is to learn to manage your problems and stop them having a negative impact on your daily life.
The steps learnt in CBT can then be used throughout the patient's daily life, even after they finish their sessions.