Essay on the Impact of Depression and CBT in Public Health

This essay explores the significant impact of depression on public health, highlighting its association with various health issues and socioeconomic consequences. It examines the limitations of traditional treatments and introduces Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a short-term, effective psychotherapy approach. The essay delves into the mechanisms of CBT, focusing on how it aims to alter an individual's thinking and perception to manage and prevent the recurrence of depression. It also touches upon the role of different strategies, such as enhancing relationships and providing education, in the treatment process. The essay emphasizes the importance of CBT as an individualized approach and its effectiveness in addressing depression. The essay references several studies that support the efficacy of CBT in treating depression.

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1ESSAY
Public Health Interventions and the behavior cognitive model
Depression has been a critical public health issue in the United States. From a long time,
depression has been a significant target for the psychotherapies and psychiatry; however, these
treatments were time-consuming and instead focused on treatment than prevention (McLaughlin,
2011). Depression has been related to a high rate of morbidity and mortality. There is evidence
that different health issues, such as diabetes and cancer, can also cause depression. There is a
higher chance of stroke and hypertension due to depression. Ultimately, it leads to social and
economic consequences (McLaughlin, 2011).
There are various kinds of psychosocial and pharmacological interventions to treat
depression but has proved to be a long term treatment. There have been many types of research
for effective therapy to treat and prevent depression. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
has proved to be a psychotherapy for a short-term that focusses on problem solving methods.
This therapy aims at altering the thinking or perception of an individual (Zettle & Hayes, 2015).
Many strategies were invented to help in the prevention of the reoccurrence of
depression. Therefore, depression has become a significant public health concern, as there are
only a few effective therapies for the treatment of depression for many people. CBT is
individualized, effective treatment since it comprises of different methods varying from
cognitive to behavioural theories (Hofmann et al., 2012).
During this approach, once the degree of depression has been evaluated, the patient is
provided with different possible strategies that can help in the reduction and prevention of the
reoccurrence of depression. The procedure may involve enhancement of relationships with their
families and friends or may include education to manage depression (Karyotaki et al., 2017).

2ESSAY
REFERENCES
Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of
cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive therapy and research,
36(5), 427-440.
Karyotaki, E., Riper, H., Twisk, J., Hoogendoorn, A., Kleiboer, A., Mira, A., ... & Andersson, G.
(2017). Efficacy of self-guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy in the
treatment of depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis of individual participant data. JAMA
psychiatry, 74(4), 351-359.
Lenhard, F., Andersson, E., Mataix-Cols, D., Rück, C., Vigerland, S., Högström, J., ... &
Serlachius, E. (2017). Therapist-guided, internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy
for adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(1), 10-19.
McLaughlin, K. A. (2011). The public health impact of major depression: a call for
interdisciplinary prevention efforts. Prevention Science, 12(4), 361-371.
Zettle, R. D., & Hayes, S. C. (2015). Rule-governed behavior: A potential theoretical framework
for cognitive-behavioral therapy. In The Act in Context (pp. 33-63). Routledge.