Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

Now four decades old, cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is one of the most
heavily researched-and effective-forms of psychotherapy, useful in treating both
psychiatric and medical disorders.

In this compact, richly detailed
volume, 13 distinguished contributors show how CBT's primary focus of
identifying and changing maladaptive patterns of information processing and
related behaviors is fully compatible with biological theories and treatments
and can be combined with pharmacotherapy to optimize treatment results in
clinical practice. In five chapters that illustrate the broadening reach and
scope of CBT, these experts discuss Schizophrenia-Shows clinicians how to
incorporate the strengths of CBT into their daily practices for treating
patients with schizophrenia. CBT methods (e.g., thought recording, examining the
evidence, activity scheduling, graded task assignments, psychoeducation) can
help relieve both positive and negative symptoms, reduce the stigma associated
with the illness, improve depression and anxiety, and increase social skills.
Bipolar I disorder-Focuses on a concerted effort to educate the patient about
bipolar disorder, which helps patients and families develop an "early warning"
system and be prepared with interventions to forestall relapse. CBT methods also
teach patients how to reduce common psychosocial stressors and adhere to their
prescribed medications. Computer-assisted CBT-Discusses an exciting new
frontier that has already found excellent levels of patient acceptance and can
reduce the amount of clinician time required for successful treatment. Using
virtual reality and other technologies, computer-assisted CBT enhances therapy
by providing interactive methods of learning and rehearsing CBT skills and by
illustrating problem-solving methods with multimedia scenarios. CBT for
treating physical illnesses-Details the positive benefits for CBT in many
different types of medical disorders, such as coronary artery disease, diabetes,
and multiple sclerosis. CBT can help change negative automatic thoughts ("What's
the use?"), reduce anxiety and depression, and ultimately help the patient
develop adaptive beliefs, identify and mobilize inherent strengths, and maximize
healthy behavioral strategies. CBT for children and adolescents-Reviews the
robust effects for CBT in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and
depression and demonstrates how these methods can be used in clinical practice.
Findings from numerous studies demonstrate that CBT is effective in individual,
group, and family formats and can also be used to reduce vulnerability to
depression in adolescents who are at risk.

This exceptional volume
enriches our understanding of the strengths of CBT and provides new
opportunities for helping patients. As such, it will be welcomed by clinicians
and students alike.