What does CBT help for?

[Katie]

I have a lot of problems. Can it help with all my mental problems?

[Skippy]

It can, to a degree. It is thought to be effective for many types of mental illness. As with any therapy/medications, a lot of the work has to be done on your part to get better.

[FraidyCat]

I think Skippy is right. CBT seems to work for a lot of disorders.

[Coffee]

CBT is about changing the way your mind words, the way you think and subsequently, the way you behave. It can be really effective for social anxiety and some other issues (like OCD) but if we're talking about other things like depression, BPD, trauma etc., I don't think CBT is the right choice. Can you explain what you are dealing with so that I can try to recommend the right kind of therapy for you?

[Ironman]

^ CBT is learning how to react differently to the things that used to cause us so much anxiety. Mainly, it is how to reacdt less stressfully.

[takethebiscuit]

CBT has a lot of research backing it up and has been proven to be effective in the treatment of many disorders, issues and problems including anxiety.

It's not a one size fits all "cure". Indeed, if any therapist you meet calls CBT or any other treatment a "cure", don't work with that therapist. CBT also requires you, as the client, to be an active participant in the therapy. You may even be given homework to do between sessions. Relax, it's not like school homework. Therapists tend to set that kind of homework so the client can see themselves making progress.

If you've not already done so, talk to your doctor about your mental health problems. CBT may well work for you. I would focus on using CBT to tackle the problem in your life which is giving you the most trouble. Trying to solve every problem would be a huge challenge and it's far better to just deal with one issue at a time. You may find that dealing with one issue helps you deal with other issues and that's great. Rapid change is certainly possible. We change every day and sometimes without even noticing it. It's just often easier for people to work on one problem at a time.

[pam]

For me, CBT is pretty useless. I find it to be good for solving everyday disappointments or the more shallow problems in life, especially if you catch it in time before your thoughts get too entrenched. In my experience if you have a trauma that's causing problems or a personality disorder, something that originated BEFORE age 7, the logical arguments & debates of CBT won't touch it.

There are many many self-help books that have CBT exercises to do and you can learn to challenge your thoughts on your own without a therapist if you are motivated enough.

[Misssy]

CBT is just another word for trying to get people to act differently.

I had a therapist try to do it on me but I think she was nuts so I stopped going.

CBT is something I dislike. It requires too much discipline....I feel like I'm swimming in tar.

[takethebiscuit]

CBT is just another word for trying to get people to act differently.

I had a therapist try to do it on me but I think she was nuts so I stopped going.

CBT is something I dislike. It requires too much discipline....I feel like I'm swimming in tar.

Must be difficult not to get stuck when swimming in tar. I'd imagine it'd also be difficult to move forwards easily because it's all sticky and gloopy and hardens quite quickly too. But I might have got this wrong so correct me on what your experience is like if you need to. I'm just really curious about the metaphor you used.