In the next few posts we’ll look in more detail at some common cognitive distortions associated with depression. All or nothing thinking is a type of cognitive distortion in which we see things in black or white terms, with no shades of grey in between. Things are either all good, or all bad. We’re perfect […]
Category: Depression
Mindfulness, Depression and Acceptance
Acceptance helps us respond to negative and unpleasant experiences in ways that don’t make things worse, and prevent vicious cycles and downward spirals. Acceptance can be a difficult concept to grasp. In the videos below I do my best to explain the nature of acceptance in the context of mindfulness and psychotherapy, but it’s probably […]
Depression and Relapse Prevention
At some point I’m going to cover preventing relapse of depression in more detail. But for now we’re going to just consider two important aspects. In this post and the next we’ll learn how mindfulness and acceptance helps prevent depression relapse by disrupting vicious cycles before they can get started. Then we’ll look at how […]
Emotion Regulation and Depression
One of the main features of depression is a depressed mood. In CBT we focus on modifying our thoughts and behaviours in order to improve our moods and how we’re feeling. We can’t modify our moods and emotions directly the way we can our thoughts and behaviours. But we do have the ability to influence […]
Automatic Negative Thoughts in CBT
We constantly have all sorts of thoughts automatically popping into our heads. In CBT, it’s our automatic negative thoughts (sometimes referred to as ANTs) that we’re most concerned with. Automatic negative thoughts play a huge role in both initiating and maintaining our negative moods. And they often set off vicious cycles and downward spirals that […]
Behavioral Activation and Depression
Behavioral activation is a technique from CBT that is often the initial step in treating depression. When we’re depressed, we can lack motivation and lose interest in activities we used to enjoy. As a result, we become much less active. And this decreased level of activity has a negative effect on our moods, and leaves […]
Introduction to CBT for Depression
The first approach to treating depression we’ll look at is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is one of the most effective treatments for depression. The main idea behind CBT for depression is that our thoughts and behaviors are a big influence on our moods, feelings and emotions. And when we […]
What Causes Depression and Why Do We Get Depressed?
What causes depression? First we’ll look at a simple diathesis-stress model of depression. Under the diathesis-stress model, if our levels of predisposition or vulnerability to depression, plus levels of life stressors, exceed our tolerance levels, then we become depressed. Then we’ll learn a more comprehensive model of depression proposed by Aaron Beck. Aaron Beck is […]
Read More… from What Causes Depression and Why Do We Get Depressed?
Self-Help For Depression Course
In this free self-help course for depression, we’ll learn the most effective ways to manage and treat depression. We’ll look at how we become depressed, and the symptoms of depression and how they affect us. And then we’ll explore various ways to relieve and recover from depression, with a focus on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) […]
Thought Records and Depression
The most effective way to practice cognitive restructuring is to complete a thought record or thought diary. The thought record is one of the foundational tools of CBT. In the thought record we write down: Our automatic negative thoughts The situations that triggered them The moods, emotions, feelings, and physical symptoms or sensations we experience […]