Depression Treatment: Comparing Biomedical and Cognitive Therapy

This essay analyzes biomedical and cognitive therapies for treating a patient, Delia, suffering from depression due to recent divorce, her child moving out, a dead-end job, and social isolation. It contrasts biomedical therapy, which uses medication like antidepressants to alter neurotransmitter levels, with cognitive therapy, which focuses on changing dysfunctional thoughts and cognitive distortions. The essay argues that cognitive therapy is a better approach for Delia because it addresses the root causes of her negative thoughts about herself, the world, and her future, without the side effects associated with medication. Cognitive therapy encourages Delia to identify and eliminate distressing thoughts, promoting natural recovery and resilience.

Running head: TREATING DEPRESSION
TREATING DEPRESSION
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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TREATING DEPRESSION
Introduction
The essay aims to provide an analysis of the therapies that could best treat the patient
presented in the case study. The essay will first provide a brief overview of the case study, then
compare, and contrast the two chosen therapies.
Discussion
Delia recently divorced and mother of a child has had a tough life, which has caused her
to go into depression. She has expressed her feelings regarding her job as being a dead-end and
has hardly any friends. Delia has demonstrated symptoms like insomnia, lack of motivation,
tearfulness, headaches and social withdrawal. Therefore, she wanted a treatment for depression.
The two therapies that have been chosen for analysis include biomedical therapy and
cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy comes under psychotherapy and involves focusing on a
person’s feelings of distress that result from her or his thoughts. Biomedical therapy, on the other
hand, involves treatment of psychological disorders including depression through medication and
medical procedures (Cnx.org, 2018).
Cognitive therapists would first ask Delia to share her thoughts and then reveal that her
thoughts are dysfunctional and she needs to change these thoughts. They would allow Delia to
view the way she misinterprets a situation, known as cognitive distortion. In cognitive therapy,
Delia will be asked to see the positives in her life. After being divorced and having to let go her
last child, Delia felt that she has nothing left in life. In this case, the cognitive therapists would
ask her to look at the positive side that at least she has a job and she could meet her child any day
she wants. She could become the perfect mother for her child by focusing on improving her life.

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TREATING DEPRESSION
In contrast to cognitive therapy, biomedical therapists would prescribe medications to
treat Delia’s depression. Medications that treat psychological disorders like depression are
referred to as psychotropic medications (Cnx.org, 2018). Designated doctors and psychiatrists
are authorized to prescribe these medications for persons with psychological disorders. Anti-
depressants are the common medication types that are prescribed to depression patients like
Delia. Anti-depressants help in altering levels of serotonin and norepinephine, the
neurotransmitters (Cnx.org, 2018). However, these medications also have side effects that
include headache, weight gain, drowsiness and nausea amongst others.
Cognitive therapy is a better approach towards treating Delia’s depression. Depression, as
Douglas Bloch, a psychotherapy counselor and depression survivor refers to Aaron Beck’s views
and states that it occurs from a triad of negative thoughts – the thoughts about self, about the
world and about future (Youtube.com, 2018). In Delia’s case, she has negative thoughts about
her job, about the world around her and about her future as she feels a lack of motivation. While
medications would help Delia with her insomnia, it would be least effective in terms of
improving her lack of motivation and social withdrawal.
One of the risks associated with biomedical therapy is that it involves certain side effects,
which is not found in cognitive therapy (Cnx.org, 2018). Delia could be made aware of her
negative thoughts and encouraged to eliminated those thoughts that are cause of distress. This
process does not involve any risk or side effect and help Delia recover naturally and come out
stronger.
Conclusion

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TREATING DEPRESSION
It has therefore been explained clearly that cognitive therapy would be a better option to
treat Delia’s depression as it involves zero risk.

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References:
Cnx.org. (2018). OpenStax CNX. Retrieved from
https://cnx.org/contents/Sr8Ev5Og@5.101:N8Hjdi5h@8/Types-of-Treatment
Youtube.com. (2018). Cognitive Therapy for Depression. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WXvc4DlWKM&pbjreload=10