There are always many new studies about Cognitive Therapy’s efficacy for different disorders. Here are some of the most interesting recent studies we’ve come across:
Cognitive Therapy for PTSD Related to Terrorism – 58 patients who were suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after exposure to terrorism and civil conflict in Northern Ireland were randomized to either immediate Cognitive Therapy treatment (approximately 5.9 sessions) or no treatment for twelve weeks, followed by two CT sessions. Researchers noted that, “Immediate cognitive therapy was associated with significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, depression, and social and occupational functioning.” This study was published in the British Medical Journal.
Cognitive Therapy for Families Bereaved by Suicide – Research shows that family-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) can help first degree relatives and spouses of those who committed suicide. In this study, 122 relatives of 70 individuals who committed suicide were randomly assigned to either CBT or usual care. The CBT group experienced reduced perceptions of blame and maladaptive grief reactions, even though CBT had little effect on other aspects of bereavement.
Cognitive Therapy for Adults with OCD – In a recent review, researchers examined 7 different psychological studies and 10 comparison studies (usual care) to consider the efficacy of Cognitive Behavior Therapy treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). “Patients receiving any form of cognitive behavioral treatment had significantly fewer obsessive-compulsive symptoms post-treatment than subjects receiving treatment as usual.”
[...] CT Today presents Research Results: More Cognitive Therapy Studies than We can Keep Up With posted at Beck Institute’s Blog [...]
Here is another question that I have about Cognitive Therapy: How do you see the relationship of Cognitive Therapy and Philosophy? As far as I understand that, a main part of Cognitive Therapy is to detect and change automatic or unhelpfull thoughts. To me it looks like these thoughts are not just some “funny weird thoughts” but might concern some pretty important human questions, for example about guilt, about who I am as a person, what it means if other people reject me or judge me. It seems like dealing with these automatic thoughts, (if it goes beyond day-to-day questions) means to deal with the most basic human questions. How do you see that?
Barbara,
Cognitive Therapy does deal with automatic thoughts, but it also targets an individual’s underlying beliefs about him or herself, others and the world. So you’re right that automatic thoughts concern underlying issues — a person’s “core beliefs.”