Cognitive Therapy of Depression

Cognitive therapy is an active, directive, time limited and structured procedure based on the assumption that affect and behavior are largely determined by the way we structure our world. The thesis of this volume is that depression arises from a "cognitive triad" of errors and from the idiosyncratic way one infers, recollects, and generalizes. Beck and his associates show how, from initial interview to later sessions, the therapist can implement substantiated, cognitive-behavioral techniques to loosen the grip of "depresogenic" thoughts and assumptions. The reader is further guided to deal in both individual and group therapy with such specific problems as suicidal ideation, termination and possible relapse, and the need for chemotherapy in certain, more severe cases. Just as cognitive therapy leads the patient to collaborate actively in the analysis of thought, this book helps the reader better to analyze our implicit assumptions about the nature and treatment of depression.