Cognitive therapy engages the patient in a critical evaluation and restructuring of the irrational thoughts and assumptions which undermine personal effectiveness and contribute to disorders of arousal and mood.
It is a relatively recent form of psychotherapy which aims to alleviate emotional distress by helping individuals to identify and change faulty patterns of thinking. The central notion is that it is not the events per se but rather the patient's interpretations of events which is responsible for the production of negative emotions such as anxiety, anger and sadness. The relationships considered important in depression relate to perceived loss of a relationship, status or efficacy. In anxiety the important interpretations, or cognitions, relate to perceived danger of such a loss or of damage, sickness or death. Furthermore, many causes of anxiety and depression are triggered by adverse life events.
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