How CBT Can Help Individuals With ADD/ADHD
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that teaches individuals how to recognize and modify harmful or negative thought patterns that influence their behavior and emotions.
Depression and anxiety can be exacerbated by a person’s habitual adverse self-talk. Negative thought patterns have been shown to have a detrimental effect on one’s mood in research studies.
With the assistance of CBT, these thoughts are identified, challenged, and replaced with a variety of tools for developing objective and reasonable thinking. Common strategies may include journaling, role-playing, relaxation techniques, and mental distractions.
Types of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT encompasses various techniques and approaches that address emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. These can range from structured psychotherapies to self-help materials. Several specific types of therapeutic approaches which involve CBT are:
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy is a short-term form of psychotherapy that is centered on how your thoughts impact your emotional responses to everyday occurrences. It is centered on identifying and changing inaccurate or distorted thinking patterns, emotional responses, and behaviors.
Its problem-solving approach focuses on the behavior, thinking, and communication aspects rather than focusing on past experiences.
This therapy can be applied in the treatment of various other conditions, including depression, anxiety, panic, depression, and several others.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT, a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy, is known to help address thoughts and behaviors while incorporating emotional regulation and mindfulness strategies. The primary goal of DBT is to educate people on how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to tackle and cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their social relationships.
DBT is especially effective if you have difficulty with emotional regulation or exhibit self-destructive behaviors, including eating disorders and drug abuse disorders. It is additionally used in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and adapted to treat several other mental health conditions.
DBT has evolved to become one of the best approaches of therapeutic treatments and can be used in three settings, including
- Group Settings: Behavioral skills are taught by completing homework assignments and role-playing new ways of interacting with others
- Individual Therapy: A personalized strategy in which you apply your newly acquired behavioral skills to your life’s challenges
- Phone coaching: A therapist provides guidance between sessions on how to cope with acute and difficult situations
DBT aims to teach you how to embrace and manage your daily life circumstances and emotions, as well as how to develop skills that will enable you to make life-changing decisions concerning your behavior. Effective communication skills will enable the development of positive social interactions.
You will learn how to analyze destructive behavioral patterns and how to replace harmful thoughts with more beneficial ones.
Multimodal Therapy
This approach maintains that psychological issues must be addressed through the lens of seven distinct but interconnected modalities. These modalities include behavior, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal factors, and drug/biological considerations.
It was developed by a renowned behavior therapist, Arnold Lazarus, with the goal of optimizing the treatment of various brain disorders by combining various types of therapy. The different treatment modes include pharmacotherapy, technological devices, and behavioral or psychosocial interventions.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
Developed by a famous psychologist named Albert Ellis, this form of CBT-based therapy is geared toward assisting patients in changing irrational beliefs by identifying them, actively challenging them, and developing the ability to change thought patterns.
The therapeutic process involved in REBT involves the following three steps:
1. Identify The Irrational Thought Pattern and Beliefs
These underlying and irrational thoughts cause psychological distress, which can include feeling excessively angry about other people’s misconduct, upholding yourself to (often) unachievable standards, or feeling a loss of control over one’s happiness. These thoughts perpetuate the negative patterns that convince individuals that their contentment is dependent upon external forces.
2. Challenge The Irrational Beliefs
Once these thoughts have been identified, the next step is to challenge the underlying beliefs. To achieve this, a therapist adopts different strategies to dispute them. The therapist may use blunt, honest, and logical strategies to push you towards changing your thoughts and behaviors.
3. Gain Insight and Change Behavior
It’s difficult to recognize irrational thoughts. However, attempting to change your natural thought processes can be even more challenging. While it is natural to be upset by an undesired circumstance, REBT teaches individuals to think rationally in response to them.
