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2016 Featured Articles Archive

CBT Reduces ADHD Effects…

The New York Times’ Benedict Carey talks about several studies investigating CBT’s effects on ADHD symptom outcomes. He writes that those students who began treatment with CBT all had better outcomes, regardless of the types of treatment used later on. Further, he found that by using CBT as a treatment approach in the beginning, treatment costs were reduced annually by an average of $700, when factoring in direct and indirect costs.
To see the article, click here

Get Some Sleep

sleepless CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to be at least as good as, and sometimes better than, medication in fighting insomnia.

Read why, and how. Then sleep on it

Social Phobia

girl alone Stefan Hofmann provides insights into Social Anxiety, its relative commonness, and techniques CBT therapists might use to help sufferers confront it effectively

For more information see

Depressed Millennials?

news Mitch Depression rates are holding steady and suicide rates are decreasing, so why do folks think Millennials are more prone to both?

Mitch Prinstein and others join NPR in exploring this

Manage Fatigue

computer Patients with multiple sclerosis suffering from fatigue can benefit from an online CBT-based fatigue management program. Other benefits from the program include improvements in anxiety and subjective cognitive impairment.

For more on this, please see

Money for Clinical Research in CBT

research small Dr. Richard Friedman, a well-known psychiatrist in New York, recently published an Op-Ed article in the New York Times, which made a strong case for increasing federal funding for research on psychotherapeutic interventions.

Opportunity Hidden

pistol NPR’s All Things Considered had a program about how people who consider suicide also consider the means, and one means is guns.

With September as Suicide Prevention Month, maybe it’s time to remove triggers to your loved ones’ realized suicide.

See: For more on suicide, see and

CBT and Depression

woman alone The New York Times’ article, covering a replication study of Paxil’s effects is in stark contrast to CBT’s long-term effectiveness in treating depression, its long-lasting positive effects, and its absence of negative side-effects.

To learn more about CBT and depression, see also

Reducing Anxiety Over the Internet

selfie An internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT), structured to simulate face-to-face treatment, may be a suitable option for adolescents with anxiety disorders

For more information on Anxiety, see

To learn more about what questions you might ask the therapist, see

Examining Emotion in Procrastination

pencil waste An article in the Wall Street Journal discusses the role of emotion in procrastination. Impulsivity and poor negative emotion tolerance may be just as important as poor time management strategies in facilitating procrastination. Exposing procrastinators to stressful feelings or thoughts is linked to decreased procrastination

BT Helps Insomnia

medical sheep Cognitive Behavior Therapy shown to reduce insomnia symptoms and sleep disturbance in individuals with co-existing psychiatric symptoms: here

Online Therapy

Huffington Post discusses how online therapy may bring down barriers to therapy and help bring therapy to those who otherwise couldn’t, or wouldn’t, use it.

An online CBT program may help those clients who normally wouldn’t receive treatment due to financial constraints or those with limited access to therapists:

CBT for Panic

nervous girl What’s the best way to treat panic?

CBT according to an article in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. The next best thing is staying in treatment.

For more, see and for more on Panic, see

Fresh Start

girls Many of us look at college as a new adventure, and as a way to leave the past behind, but, not surprisingly, who we are tends to follow us.

Join Anne Marie Albano as she gives us ideas for helping in smooth transitions

Being Black and Anxious

black melinda A recent Longest Shortest Time podcast from NPR featured a young mother discussing her anxiety in relation to her pregnancy, her young infant, and more. In addition, she worries about what she calls being the “model minority.” And like all great pieces on anxiety, ABCT is listed as one of the resources. Photo from NPR

For more on anxiety, see and for those looking for a CBT therapist to help with anxiety or other issues, see

After The Crash

crash The recent Metro-North crash reminds us the trauma that passengers, family, and even onlookers, such as those waiting in their cars at the crossing, experience in the aftermath of a horrendous tragedy. For some, the trauma is now; others may experience difficulties later, suffering from the delayed symptoms common in PTSD sufferers. No, it’s not confined to soldiers at war; not even confined to those hurt. For information on PTSD and Trauma, please see our Fact Sheets. For those who might want to talk to a CBT therapist, please see our Find a CBT Therapist directory.

www.nytimes.com

The Secret History Of Thoughts

cain A new NPR program, Invisibilia, explores some of how thoughts work, and how they become maladaptive. Alix and Lulu then look at how CBT and some third wave treatments approach maladaptive thinking, centering on one person’s fear he was going to kill his wife.

To hear the podcast, listen

Healthy eating or disordered eating?

vino Eating healthy is great, but when the quality and composition of meals becomes a time consuming preoccupation interfering with daily functioning of causing malnutrition, we may be dealing with orthorexia, a type of eating disorder, fortunately, this disorder appear to respond well to CBT approaches that are typically used for eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder. Link:

For more information on eating disorders, see our fact sheet

Exposure therapy helps heal prolonged grief

golaya baba Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a potentially disabling condition that affects approximately 10% of those who lose a loved one.

New research (link ) shows that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) that includes exposure therapy to promote emotional processing of memories of the death is superior to CBT alone in reducing PGD severity.

For more on bereavement and grief, see

What Is Your OCD IQ?

ocd How much do you really know about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? OCD is often misconstrued or made light of in the popular media. In truth, it is a chronic condition that affects 2-3% of the U.S. population and is associated with marked functional impairment and quality of life deficits. Fortunately, treatments such as cognitive behavior therapy and certain medications have been found effective.
Look at coverage in the New York Times, [link ], or, for more information on OCD, see

Internet-CBT equal to face-to-face group CBT for chronic tinnitus

woman Chronic tinnitus (a condition that causes ringing or buzzing in the ears) can be debilitating.

A new study [link ] compared fact-to-face group CBT with Internet-delivered CBT and found that both groups showed equally large improvements in measures of tinnitus severity and interference relative to waitlist control.

CBT Trumps Medications for Social Anxiety Disorder

babasrykami A huge meta-analysis (link ) of 101 studies with more than 13,000 social anxiety disorder participants found that CBT had larger effect sizes than medications and other talk therapies. The authorsï¿½ conclusion? CBT “should be regarded as the best intervention for initial treatment”.
For more information on shyness and social anxiety, see

Childhood trauma could lead to adult obesity

obesity A new meta-analysis, [link ], including over 100,000 adults, finds that childhood abuse greatly increases the risk of developing obesity as an adult.

For more information on child abuse, see :

or for information on obesity, see

CBT for Sleep May Benefit Psychiatric Disorders

sleep Results from a new study [link] show that CBT for insomnia is effective for veterans with sleep disorders.

Moreover, CBT for insomnia lead improved symptoms of comorbid psychiatric disorders as well. For more information on sleep disorders, see

Most People Have Unwanted Thoughts, International Study Finds

woman What if I hit someone with my car? What if I contracted HIV? What if I left the iron on and my house burns down? If you have ever had thoughts like this, youï¿½re not alone. A new study [link ] finds that these kinds of unwanted, intrusive thoughts are actually quite common, even among people who donï¿½t have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

For more on OCD, see

CBT greatly reduced anxiety in grade school children

services Childhood anxiety is very common and has been found to increase the risk of mental health problems in adulthood. A new study [link ] found that CBT greatly reduced anxiety levels in schoolchildren ages nine to 10 years old. This finding is important because strategies that can effectively reduce anxiety early on have potential for decreasing the huge social and economic burden associated with anxiety disorders over the lifespan.

Learn more about childhood phobias, social anxiety, and school refusal: [link 1] and [link 2 ]

CBT for conversion disorder reduces psychogenic nonepileptic seizures

heads Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures are a conversion disorder that affect up to 400,000 people in the US. A new clinical trial [link ] found that CBT, with or without sertraline, led to a reduction in seizures and an improvement in comorbid symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Online Psychotherapy Gains Fans and Critiques

laptop The demand for online psychotherapy is growing rapidly. Research on the efficacy of delivering treatment online and guidelines to protect patients and therapists are racing to catch up. NRPï¿½s morning edition covers the story.

Link

ADHD Medication Not Related to Suicidal Behavior

hand drug A new study [link] published in the British Journal of Medicine found that ADHD medication does not increase suicide attempts or suicide, as was previously feared.

For more on ADHD, see

What it scrupulosity?

hell ABCT member Dr. Abramowitz discusses religious OCD, or scrupulosity, with CNN [link]. Scrupulosity is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder in which obsessions have moral or religious connotations.

For more on OCD, see

Fighting the war within

60 Minutes gets an inside look at how two specific types of CBT (prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy) can help veterans suffering from PTSD.

Link:
Learn more about Trauma:
Learn more about PTSD:

Kids with OCD benefit from family-based exposure therapy

malchik A new study found that family-based exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) was effective in reducing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD)and improving daily functioning in young children between the ages of five and eight with OCD. The results indicate that with appropriate parental support, even younger children can benefit from EX/RP:
see

Bullying

The scars of childhood bullying are still evident 40 years later

New research shows that the effects of childhood bullying are still evident nearly 40 years later. Individuals who were bullied during childhood had poorer physical and psychological health and were at an increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal thoughts.

Therapy Apps

apps Need Therapy? There’s an app for that.

A quick look at the latest research from the intersection of CBT and mobile technology.

NPR on CBT:

Diabetes Help

CBT can improve physical and psychological well-being

A new study found that CBT for depression and diabetes management effectively improved blood sugar control and relieved depression symptoms in patients with poorly-controlled type 2 diabetes.

Link to press release
For more information on depression, please see

Youth Anxiety

CBT Provides Lasting Benefits to Anxious Kids and Teens
A recent study found that CBT (with and without a medication for anxiety) was an effective treatment for youth with moderate to severe anxiety disorders. Moreover, the benefits of treatment were maintained 6 months after treatment with the help of monthly booster sessions.
To read more, see ; and for more information on childhood phobias and social anxiety,
see this and this one

Body Dysmorphia

CBT Benefits Patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is an under-recognized body-image disorder that affects an estimated 1.7 percent to 2.4 percent of the population. In an recent randomized-controlled trial, researchers found that CBT significantly improved patients’ BDD symptoms and level of disability, and was associated with high levels of patient satisfaction.
To read more, see
For additional help, we have many self-help books, including this one

Help For Chronic Pain

New Study Finds Mindfulness Effective For Chronic Pain

Prescription opioid medications are a leading treatment for chronic pain, which affects nearly one-third of Americans. Misuse of prescription painkillers can lead to addiction or overdose. Now, new research published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology shows that Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement, or MORE, can significantly reduce pain and opioid misuse in chronic pain patients.
To read more about the study, see
to find out more about Chronic Pain, see

CBT helps cancer patients get a good nights rest

Cancer patients often struggle with sleep problems. A new study at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine found that mindfulness-based stress reduction and CBT for insomnia can help patients get a much-needed good nights rest
for more information, see our fact sheet on insomnia

OCD patients show greater improvement with CBT than with medications

“OCD patients on serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) should be offered EX/RP before being offered an addition of antipsychotic medications, given the greater efficacy and safety of EX/RP. We hope that these data will impact clinical practice and help more patients with OCD achieve wellness.” Lead Author, Dr. Blair Simpson

Study summary:

To read more about OCD see
To find a therapist to help you confront your OCD see

Seminal ADHD study is re-evaluated by its authors

ADHD, the second most prevalent diagnosis in children, has long been treated primarily through drugs, a treatment that was fueled, in part by the study, Multimodal Treatment Study of Children With A.D.H.D. Now, according to the New York Times, the studys authors are suggesting perhaps CBTs value was understated. Says one of the studys authors, I hope it didnt do irreparable damage. The people who pay the price in the end is the kids. Thatï¿½s the biggest tragedy in all of this. To read the full Times article, see
and to read more about ADHD, see

“Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Proven Effectiveness”
by Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D. in Anxiety Files November 23, 2011
A debate continues to rage on the efficacy of CBT and psychoanalytic psychiatry. The most recent salvo can be found on Bob Leah’s Psychology Today blog in which he responded to David Allen, M.D,’s blog regarding the limits of CBT. The direct link to Bob’s post is at http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anxiety-files/201111/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-proven-effectiveness or you may want to visit the ABCT facebook page to see a discussion of the discussion.

“The Forgotten Patients” Forbes.com September 3, 2010
Roughly 35,000 Americans commit suicide each year; another 1.1 million make attempts; while 8 million have suicidal thoughts. But Forbes Magazine details a treatment approach, DBT, developed by one of our members, Marsha Linehan, that has changed and saved lives. Read more …

Long-time member Edna Foa is named TIME Magazine Time 100ï¿½ for her work in treating PTSD

“Bipolar: Tips for Life“ WWW.WEBMED.COM

In the second segment of Tips for Life, Bob Leahy, ABCTï¿½s President, offers tips to help bipolar sufferers deal with the financial repercussions, giving examples of techniques and strategies that work.

“Prevent Depression in Teens With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy“ US News.com June 4, 2009.

Serious depression afflicts 2 million teenagers each year and puts them at greater risk of suicide and depression throughout life. But Cognitive behavioral therapy can prevent teenagers from becoming clinically depressed, even if their parents are depressed, too.

Depression Leads to Misperceptions of Criticism from Spouses
People who are feeling depressed or who are having marital problems often complain that their spouses are critical of them. Read more …

One Session Exposure Therapy May Work for Reducing Anxiety
One-Session Treatment (OST) is a form of exposure therapy for the treatment of fears and phobias. Read more …

CBT plus Zoloft is “gold standard” treatment for child anxiety
In the combined treatment group, 81 percent of children were much improved by three months, compared with 60 percent in the therapy-only group, 55 percent in the sertraline-only group, and 24 percent in the placebo group. Read more …

“More and More, Favored Psychotherapy Lets Bygones Be Bygones.“ The New York Times. February 14, 2006.

This New York Times article documents the radical shift in psychotherapeutic techniques that has taken place over the past 20 years. Traditional psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies have become “totally eclipsed by cognitive behavioral approaches.”

“Dump the Couch! And Ditch the Zoloft: A new therapy revolution is here.“ Forbes. April 9, 2007.

Forbes magazine hails CBT as part of “a new therapy revolution.” Read the article to learn why CBT treatment is preferred over traditional “talk therapy” and medication.

“A Change of Mind: Thanks to managed care, evidence-based medical practice, and changing ideas about behavior, Cognitive Therapy is the talking cure of the moment.“ The Washington Post. September 3, 2002.

The Washington Post calls CBT “the fastest growing and most rigorously studied kind of talk therapy, the subject of at least 325 clinical trials evaluating its efficacy in treating everything from depression to schizophrenia one whose benefits can persist and enhance one’s life.”

“Press Release: NICE guidelines to improve the treatment and care of people with depression and anxiety.“ National Institute for Clinical Excellence. December 6, 2004.

The British National Health Service (NHS) now recommends CBT over medication as the first-line treatment for most types of depression and anxiety.

“Dr. Oz Goes to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Camp.“ The Oprah Winfrey Show. May 21, 2008.

Dr. Jonathan Grayson is a special guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Dr. Grayson, a leading OCD specialist, demonstrates the dramatic success of a CBT technique called exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy with a group of 6 individuals attending “OCD Boot Camp.”

“A Clutter Too Deep for Mere Bins and Shelves.“ The New York Times. January 1, 2008.

Dr. David Tolin, director of the anxiety disorders center at the Institute of Living in Hartford, is featured in a New York Times story on compulsive hoarding. The article write that “cognitive behavioral therapy may help: a recent study of hoarders showed that six months’ therapy resulted in a marked decline in clutter in the patient’s living space.”

“Clutter and Hoarding.“ Voices in the Family, WHYY-National Public Radio. March 3, 2008.

At the conclusion of this radio program, Dr. Tolin compares the failures of traditional talk therapy to alleviate the “locked in” plight of compulsive hoarders to the delivery of results through in-house CBT treatment.

“Virtual reality program could help veterans cope with PTSD.“ The Hartford Courant. December 4, 2007.

This article describes Dr. Melissa Norberg and Dr. David Tolin use of virtual reality simulations as a supplement to CBT treatment to help Iraq War veterans recover from PTSD. According to Dr. Tolin, “cognitive behavioral therapy holds the only hope of a lasting reduction of symptoms of PTSD.”

“Worried in America: Facing Fears.“ ABC News. April 3, 2008.

Dr. Robert Leahy, director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, and other CBT therapists appear on this special news program. People suffering from severe, even crippling anxiety are taught how to cope with their fears in a dramatically short amount of time.

“The Worry Cure’ Book.“ The Early Show, CBS News. December 6, 2005.

Dr. Leahy shared some advice and insight from his book, “The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worrying from Stopping You”, with Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. Dr. Leahy’s book outlines CBT-based strategies to help people suffering from anxiety take back control of their lives:

“Taking Anxiety Down a Notch.“ The New York Times. October 30, 2005.

The New York Times calls Dr. Leahy’s book a “lucid, practicalï¿½ manual for the psycheï¿½ [which] engaging and persuasively coaxes self-tormentors to have mercy on themselves.”

“Cold Feet.“ Weekend Today Show, NBC.

Watch NBC’s Weekend Today Show host, Lester Holt, face down his phobia of snakes with the help of Dr. Michael Otto, exposure therapy, and a trip to the zoo.

“Teen Faces Down Anxiety Disorder.“ Good Morning America, ABC News. May 20, 2006.

This article recounts how an adolescent struggling with a lifelong panic disorder received “new hope” after beginning intensive CBT treatment at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University.

“Lotus Therapy.“ The New York Times. May 27, 2008.

In this recent article, Dr. Steven Hayes discusses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is a form of CBT treatment that incorporates the ancient practice of Eastern mediation to alter fundamental psychological processes.

“Ease anxieties with a capsule?“ The New England Cable Network. August 13, 2008.

The New England Cable Network (NECN) recently reported on the preliminary success of a 4-year, federally funded study that aims to treat severe anxiety in as few as 5 sessions of CBT. The study, which is conducted by researchers at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD), uses talk therapy in conjunction with an experimental medication.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of treatment that is based firmly on research findings. It places emphasis on changing your cognitions (thoughts) or behaviors (actions) in order to effect change in how you feel. These approaches help people in achieving specific changes or goals.

Changes or goals might involve:

A way of acting: like smoking less or being more outgoing;
A way of feeling: like helping a person to be less scared, less depressed, or less anxious;
A way of thinking: like learning to problem-solve or get rid of self-defeating thoughts;
A way of dealing with physical or medical problems: like reducing back pain or helping a person stick to a doctor’s suggestions.

Cognitive behavioral therapists usually focus more on the current situation and its solution, rather than the past. They concentrate on a person’s views and beliefs about their life. CBT is an effective treatment for individuals, parents, children, couples, and families. The goal of CBT is to help people improve and gain more control over their lives by changing behaviors that don’t work well to ones that do.

How to Get Help

If you are looking for help, either for yourself or someone else, you may be tempted to call someone who advertises in a local publication or who comes up from a search of the Internet. You may, or may not, find a competent therapist in this manner. It is wise to check on the credentials of a psychotherapist. It is expected that competent therapists hold advanced academic degrees. They should be listed as members of professional organizations, such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies or the American Psychological Association. Of course, they should be licensed to practice in your state. You can find competent specialists who are affiliated with local universities or mental health facilities or who are listed on the websites of professional organizations. You may, of course, visit our website (www.abct.org) and click on “Find a CBT Therapist”

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) is an interdisciplinary organization committed to the advancement of a scientific approach to the understanding and amelioration of problems of the human condition. These aims are achieved through the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to assessment, prevention, and treatment.