Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a method in which a one-on-one (or group) interaction with a licensed professional is employed to overcome particular emotional and mental challenges to improve the quality of life(1). One widely used and researched type of psychotherapy is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT, combining the aspects of both behavioural and cognitive psychology, aims to reduce distressing behaviours and emotions by combating distorted and maladaptive thought patterns (2). CBT has been found to be largely effective in treating depressive, anxiety, addiction, and other such mental disorders along with tackling social phobia, low self-esteem, and anger-management issues (3) (4).
Beck (1970), also considered the father of CBT, believed that many self-constructed mental patterns and schemas about oneself and one’s place in the world are often the cause of dysfunctional and flawed thoughts in certain situations. These thoughts can influence one’s behaviour and thus affirm their original patterns of thought. Therefore, CBT focuses on trying to recognise and change their “automatic thoughts” into more positive ones in order to improve one’s quality of life and align them to reality. This reduces one’s distress and allows them to approach life’s many situations without displaying dysfunctional thoughts and behaviour (5) (6). What makes CBT effective is that it involves collaborative and interactive sessions between the therapist and the client rather than the patient doing most of the talking. Furthermore, the sessions are centered around the client’s current symptoms, or behavioural issues, instead of exploring the client’s past. This allows for the development of more quick and practical steps towards recovery. The client is often encouraged to keep a journal and complete a set of tasks to keep them engaged and motivated throughout the process (7).
Though a large body of research on CBT is concerned with its effects on adults with certain mental disorders, there are quite a number of studies showing its benefits for young adults. For instance, the cognitive behavioural model of young adult suicidal behaviour predicts that those who are predisposed to such vulnerability due to genetic or environmental factors are likely to make cognitive errors. Studies have shown that CBT, in combination with medication, has shown a high success rate in adolescents in treating depression, thus preventing a cycle of negative reinforcement by maladaptive cognitions. Another study showed that suicidal adolescents were most responsive to CBT compared to other therapies (Systematic Behavior Family Therapy and Nondirective Support therapy) showing a lower rate of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and a higher rate of remission (8).
A study done on young adults with personality disorders and personality disorder features showed that upon receiving short-term group schema-CBT, early maladaptive schemas and dysfunctional coping responses reduced to a significant extent, though a long-term treatment must be necessary to achieve a lasting effect (9). CBT was also shown to be slightly more effective than Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in treating young adults with social phobia at 6 and 12-month follow-ups(10). A long term follow-up of 3.9 post-treatment years showed that there was a loss of primary anxiety diagnosis and inclusive anxiety diagnosis along with a decrease in all anxiety symptom measures in a youth sample-receiving group and individual CBT (11).
It is important to note that, however, some limitations of these studies persist regarding the nature of the diagnosis, lack of a control group, and inconsistencies in CBT techniques. Research done on younger children from India illustrated certain challenges faced in providing CBT. These include difficulty planning sessions in a way to offer the most effective form of treatment due to the inability to pay costs as well as possible limitations in the therapeutic model itself (12). Nonetheless, it is safe to say that CBT is a proven effective evidence-based treatment that can benefit the young population regardless of whether they are suffering from a diagnosis of mental illness. The transition from childhood to adulthood and even once transitioned is a period of much emotional, social, behavioural and cognitive changes that greatly increases one’s risk for anxiety disorders (13). Thus, CBT can help us navigate our personal and social lives with increased self-awareness and a positive outlook.
1- What is Psychotherapy?. Psychiatry.org. (2020). Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/psychotherapy.
2- Hofmann, S., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I., Sawyer, A., & Fang, A. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy And Research, 36(5), 427-440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
3 - Conditions | Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. (2020). Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://beckinstitute.org/get-informed/conditions/.
4 - Breslin, M. (2020). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Help Teens. Summitmedicalgroup.com. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/news/living-well/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-can-help-teens/.
5 - Learn about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Therapists. Goodtherapy.org. (2020). Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/cognitive-behavioral-therapy.
6 - Hofmann, S., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I., Sawyer, A., & Fang, A. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy And Research, 36(5), 427-440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
7- Goldberg, J. (2020). Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Young Adults: An Interview with a CBT-trained Clinician | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. Nami.org. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/May-2012/Cognitive-Behavior-Therapy-and-Young-Adults-An-In.
8- Spirito, A., Esposito-Smythers, C., Wolff, J., & Uhl, K. (2011). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Depression and Suicidality. Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics Of North America, 20(2), 191-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2011.01.012
9- Renner, F., van Goor, M., Huibers, M., Arntz, A., Butz, B., & Bernstein, D. (2013). Short-term group schema cognitive-behavioral therapy for young adults with personality disorders and personality disorder features: Associations with changes in symptomatic distress, schemas, schema modes and coping styles. Behaviour Research And Therapy, 51(8), 487-492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2013.05.011
10 - PIET, J., HOUGAARD, E., HECKSHER, M., & ROSENBERG, N. (2010). A randomized pilot study of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and group cognitive-behavioral therapy for young adults with social phobia. Scandinavian Journal Of Psychology, 51(5), 403-410. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00801.x
11 - Kodal, A., Fjermestad, K., Bjelland, I., Gjestad, R., Öst, L., & Bjaastad, J. et al. (2018). Long-term effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with anxiety disorders. Journal Of Anxiety Disorders, 53, 58-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2017.11.003
12 - Mahato, A., & Halder, S. (2019). Cognitive behavior therapy for children and adolescents: Challenges and gaps in practice. Indian Journal Of Psychological Medicine, 41(3), 279-283. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpsym.ijpsym_470_18
13 - Kendall, P., & Peterman, J. (2015). CBT for Adolescents With Anxiety: Mature Yet Still Developing. American Journal Of Psychiatry, 172(6), 519-530. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.14081061
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