Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies for Depression: Overview, New Directions, and Practical Recommendations for Dissemination

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a nonpharmacologic strategy for depression treatment that has received considerable empirical support. This article provides an overview of the history and core techniques of CBT and discusses recently developed techniques and augmentations to CBT for depression. It reviews empirical studies comparing the relative efficacy of CBT and antidepressant medication as well as their combination. Studies highlighting the relapse-prevention properties of CBT are reviewed also. The article concludes with a discussion of practical recommendations for integrating CBT into a depression treatment plan.