Cognitive Behavioral Techniques

Professional Intervention -5

Cognitive Behavioral Techniques

The main aim of CBT is to develop the ability of a person to recognize his / her dysfunctional thoughts do not evoke emotional upset and do not cause changes in behavior and physiological reactions. Dysfunctional thoughts are those thoughts that do not serve any useful purpose. On the contrary they create problems in various areas of life. 

We can divide these thoughts into three types:

1.   Automatic (spontaneous) thoughts.

2.   Distorted thought patterns.

3.   Irrational beliefs or self-defeating beliefs.

Psycho-education is a key element in cognitive therapy.

Cognitive-behavioral interventions have wide applicability for enduring mental illness. For schizophrenia, for example, their main aim is to reduce distress and disability, and to help patients develop an understanding of their illness. Individuals are encouraged to re-evaluate their beliefs through a gradual process of reviewing the evidence and constructing alternative explanations and to identify and manipulate factors that contribute to symptom maintenance. The therapist works collaboratively, taking an active enquiring stance towards the patient’s account of their experiences. Direct confrontation of delusions is avoided, as this has been shown to be counterproductive. Moderately severe thought disorder can be tackled by disentangling the most emotionally relevant themes and helping the individual focus on these using thought-linkage techniques.

The therapist encourages the patient to develop and use a variety of coping strategies, including anxiety management, activity scheduling and attention control, to reduce the occurrence and duration of hallucinations and of distressing experiences of anxiety or suspiciousness.

An impressive number of randomized controlled trials have now been carried out, from which it appears that the approach reduces both positive symptoms and the risk of relapse.