Managing Depression with CBT For Dummies

Discover powerful CBT techniques for putting depression behind you and learning to enjoy life again

People who haven′t suffered from depression don′t understand that it′s more than just feeling blue. They don′t know how depression can swallow you whole, sapping your energy and initiative and destroying your ability to enjoy what life has to offer. Written by a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) team specialising in helping people beat depression, this book is a source of wise and compassionate guidance to help you achieve a depression–free life.

Understand what depression is – get to know the true nature of depression and how it differs from ordinary unhappiness Take control of your depression – learn powerful CBT techniques for reprogramming your depressive patterns of thought and behaviour and replacing them with positive ones Get free and stay free – make important lifestyle changes to help you maintain your mental and emotional balance and avoid slipping back into depression

Open the book and find:

What CBT is and why it works How to be objective about your depression The major symptoms of clinical depression Tips for raising your self–esteem and resilience Healthy lifestyle changes you can make to keep you depression free How to deal with setbacks and get support if you need it

Learn to:

Understand depression and how it develops Identify and correct negative thought patterns Combat your depression and rebalance your life

Introduction  1

Part I: Understanding Depression and How It Develops  7

Chapter 1: Introducing Moods and Depression  9

Chapter 2: Introducing the Basic Principles of CBT  29

Part II: Putting What You Discover into Action  45

Chapter 3: Thinking about Thinking  47

Chapter 4: Changing Your Thinking to Change Your Life  61

Chapter 5: Facing Your Feelings to Tackle Depression  75

Chapter 6: Changing Your Attitudes to Combat Depression  97

Chapter 7: Raising Self–Esteem to Increase Your Motivation  113

Chapter 8: Developing Abilities that Challenge Depression  125

Chapter 9: Being Mindful, not Mind–full: Developing Your Awareness 143

Part III: Maintaining Momentum  155

Chapter 10: Discovering the New, Healthy You  157

Chapter 11: Reducing the Risk of Relapse  163

Part IV: The Part of Tens  169

Chapter 12: Ten Tips for Tackling Depression  171

Chapter 13: Ten Tips to Challenge Distorted Thinking  177

Appendix  183

Index  191

Brian Thomson is a Senior Lecturer on the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy MSc course at the University of Hertfordshire. He has 25 years′ experience as a CBT therapist and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Matt Broadway–Horner is a CBT therapist who works in the Central London office of CBT in the City. He specialises in treating depression, anxiety and trauma problems.