Cognitive Behavioral Therapy based approaches to mental health nursing Essay

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy based approaches to mental health nursing and their application to depression - Essay Example This paper presents a literature review of the cognitive behavioral therapy based approaches to mental health nursing and their application to depression. The most remarkable finding published thus far on the treatment of depression has been in a major research, conducted by Keller and colleagues (2000), weighing the outcomes of one of the more recent treatments, nefazodone, against a new treatment, the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP). The CBASP approach suggests that the mindset of individuals with chronic depression has become retarded or regressed to the most elementary developmental stage. The nature of this mindset makes patient indifferent to forces from the social environment, leading to the belief that they are not able to affect any of the circumstances in their lives. This kind of mindset leads to the submissiveness and vulnerability usual of patients with chronic depression. The technique underlying the therapy is to demonstrate to patients th at their decisions and behavior do in fact have significant effects, so that they will be encouraged to adopt behaviors that will yield positive outcomes. These positive outcomes, which stem mostly from social support, work to bring back motivation and enhance mood. Several techniques are implemented in adopting this approach such as the following (Keller et al., 2000, p. 1465): Provision of consistent feedback from the therapist on the interpersonal effects of the patient’s actions. Teaching patients to discriminate between aversive or abusive past interpersonal situations where they could not affect outcomes and current situations where they can. Teaching patients to evaluate systematically whether their actions are assisting them in achieving desired outcomes. The study of Keller and colleagues (2000) presented credible proof that CBASP is very useful in treating chronic depression. The speed of total remission with the combination of medication and CBASP in the study of K eller and colleagues (2000) was almost double the speed of total remission of patients who received medication and cognitive therapy. It is somewhat likely that CBASP will become the most successful therapy for chronic depression. However, this is not yet definite, since the speed of response to medication was significantly greater than in studies using cognitive therapy. Even though the research subjects used in the study of Kelly and colleagues (2000) seem to have higher levels of chronic depression than those in cognitive therapy studies, it is also probable that they were more responsive to treatment. Relapse preventive outcomes have also been reported applying other newer treatment approaches of cognitive therapy. Galante and colleagues (2013) formulated Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) which incorporates several typical cognitive therapy policies into mindfulness approaches. MBCT is given in a group setting with individuals who have experienced severe depression. Thi s treatment was developed particularly with the purpose of enhancing meta-cognitive consciousness in patients who have recovered from depression and who are highly vulnerable to more episodes. By means of mindfulness exercise, MBCT seeks to build a mental ‘group’ of meta-cognitive consciousness that is broader than the meta-awareness associated only with a damaging