How would CBT by a psychologist help my depression?

What is Depression?

There are various types of depression that psychologists see in daily clinical practice. First, there is Major Depression. Some of the symptoms of Major Depression include:

• Persistent sadness and / or difficulty enjoying activities
• Lack of energy / fatigue
• Problems with sleep (too much or too little)
• Problems with appetite (eating too much or too little)
• Problems with concentration and / or memory
• Low self-esteem
• Suicidal thinking
• Low sexual interest

With Major Depression, these symptoms cause the person to struggle with their everyday functioning, such that they have difficulty working, studying or interacting socially. It also significantly decreases their quality of life.
Major depression is often a recurring a problem – it’s important to treat depression sooner than later.
However, not everyone who sees a psychologist for depression meets criteria for Major Depression. Occasionally, someone might have symptoms of depression for a period of years, but not meet actual criteria for depression. Many of these people have what psychologists call Dysthymia. Dysthymia is similar to Major Depression, but with milder and fewer symptoms, and lasts longer (at least 2 years). Having Dysthymia increases the person’s chances of eventually developing Major Depression – in other words, it is a risk factor.
Aside from Major Depression and Dysthymia, psychologists also often work with people who do not have a “diagnosable” issue, but they have some symptoms of depression that interfere with their quality of life. These cases are known as subsyndromal depression, which can also be a risk factor for eventually developing Major Depression.
Hence, there are different faces of depression, with some being more severe than others.

Most people believe they have to wait until they are incapacitated before seeking help – the reality is that it’s important to seek treatment sooner than later, in order to avoid a situation where the symptoms worsen.

Of course, regardless of the type of depression one has, the most important question is – what can they do to treat this depression?

CBT for Depression
Psychologists have been testing and refining, for many decades, a treatment for depression called Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT has been found to be a very effective treatment for depression – as effective as medication.
The reason for CBT’s effectiveness is the fact that this therapy allows the psychologist to target many of the factors known to impact people’s mood, such as: