(Stopa, 2000) Furthermore, studies have shown that the results of cognitive therapy are long lasting, with relapse rates much lower than with other modes of treatment, including psychiatric drugs. And while medication is sometimes used, at least briefly, to relieve intense emotional disturbances and improve receptivity to therapy, most patients can be spared the side effects of drugs, which may include the inability to function sexually, upset stomach, difficulty sleeping and difficulty concentrating.(Brody, 1996) While no one approach to psychotherapy is appropriate for everyone, many thousands of patients have benefited from the strategies unique to cognitive therapy. In the 30 or so years since the approach was developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck, a world-renowned psychiatrist at the Beck Center for Cognitive Therapy in Philadelphia, it has become the most scientifically tested model of psychotherapy. (Brody, 1996) What is Depression? According to Dr. Judith S. Beck and Dr. Aaron Beck, her daughter, "Patients have continual unpleasant thoughts and that each thought deepens the depression." However, these thoughts are not based on facts and result in feelings of sadness this is far beyond what the situation guarantees, it has to do with hypothetical situations. "Depressed persons make such mistakes over and over," Quinn has written. "In fact, they may misinterpret friendly overtures as rejections. They tend to see the negative, rather than the positive side of things. Plus they do not check to determine whether they may have made a mistake in interpreting events."(Quinn, 1998) Depressed thinking often takes the form of negative thoughts about oneself, the present, and the future. The mood in depression is almost always experienced as sad. According to a patient's letter written and later published with the permission of William Morrow and Company, (publisher of Moodswing): from the book, "Depression and it's Treatment", her experience with this mood disorder was despair and uselessness.
