CBT – explained by a comic

When you feel depressed or anxious, it can feel like you are just lost in your thoughts. A type of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy helps to teach you how to change your thoughts – by changing your thoughts, you can change your mood and how you deal with day-to-day events. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is one of the most effective therapies for depression and anxiety in young people.

  • CBT describes a cycle starting with an Event.
  • A person responds to the Event with a Thought.
  • This Thought leads to an Emotion, and that Emotion leads to further Action.

Out of all of these, the easiest to change in the cycle are the Thoughts. Thoughts can come from an underlying belief system like, “I’m not good at anything.” This belief system is overly negative. CBT helps train you to think more rationally by using evidence in your life.

See the comic below for an example (click here if this doesn’t show up right below):

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Jude talks to his doctor and realizes he has been feeling depressed. He starts seeing a therapist who teaches him about CBT. Jude realizes there is evidence that some people do like him and there are some people he doesn’t get along with as well.

If Jude could go back in time, after CBT the above scenario might happen a little like this (click here if this doesn’t show up right below):

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How did Jude change his thinking? What is different about the second comic? Let us know your thoughts below!

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