The psychological treatment of depression: a guide to the theory and practice of cognitive-behaviour therapy

1. Psychological models of depression: historical background and theory : Behavioural foundations of depression ; The learned helplessness model of depression ; The cognitive theory of depression ; Self-control theory of depression ; Concluding remarks -- 2. Psychological treatment of depression : Research on the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural techniques ; For whom is CBT most suitable? ; Interaction with drugs ; Concluding remarks -- 3. The assessment of depression: some representative procedures : The assessment of general severity, including somatic aspects ; The Hamilton rating scale ; The Beck depression inventory ; The assessment of behaviour ; General behavioural assessment ; Behavioural diary ; Assessment of specific behaviour ; The assessment of the cognitive component of depression ; The assessment of general cognitive style ; The cognitive style test ; Hopelessness scale ; Assessment of specific thought content -- 4. Behavioural techniques : Contingency management ; Using spouse as source of reinforcement ; Application of Premack principle ; Teaching the individual to self-reinforce ; Activity scheduling -- Lewinsohn's technique ; Activity scheduling -- other methods ; Desensitasation ; Social skills (assertion) training -- 5. Cognitive techniques : Overview of the 'cognitive therapy package' ; Thought-catching ; Reality testing ; Cognitive rehearsal ; The search for alternatives (alternative therapy) ; Concluding remarks -- 6. Other treatment strategies : The treatment of initial insomnia ; Anticipation training ; Systematic resensitisation ; Evening therapy ; Reattribution training -- 7. Training exercises : Introduction ; Part I: Deciding general therapeutic strategy ; Part II: Choice points within the therapy session ; Part III: Strategies for between-session thought-catching ; Part IV: Techniques for role induction for training workshops -- 8. The cognitive theory of depression revisited : The precipitation theory ; The vulnerability theory ; Concluding remarks -- 9. Cognitive therapy and experimental cognitive psychology : Normal 'biases' and their possible clinical counterparts ; Possible remediation strategies ; Problems in correcting errors and biases ; Intellectual vs. emotional knowledge ; Techniques for investigating cognitive processes in depression ; Concluding remarks Over the past decade, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) has become established as an effective treatment for clinical depression. Research studies throughout the world have found that CBT is as effective as the best anti-depressant drugs in the short term, and that it has longer-lasting effects than medication. The Psychological Treatment of Depression describes the wide range of cognitive behavioural techniques in great detail, enabling therapists to put them into practical use. The author draws together assessment and treatment techniques of proven efficacy, describing them in usable detail, and setting them in the context of current psychological theories of depression. Some of these techniques are suitable for outpatient or primary care work, others for in-patients who may have been severely depressed for a long time. Some techniques lend themselves to long-term strategies, others to brief therapy interventions. In all cases, the techniques are explored in sufficient detail that practitioners new to CBT can feel confident about using them and that those already using CBT can update their skills.; The final chapters discuss recent advances in research on vulnerability to depression and recent theories about what processes underlie successful therapy. Basic and clear, with explicit case studies, sample dialogues, checklists, and other helpful aids, the book is a splendid working manual, a field guide for all mental health practitioners in any discipline who want to apply or incorporate the successful methods of CBT into their work with depressed patients