LAUSR

Cognitive behaviour therapy is a structured form of psychotherpy, which is useful in the management of most mental disorders, specially anxiety and depression, and also in the management of hronic pain. The evolution of CBT started with the development f behaviour therapy in United Kingdom in the 1950s, with focus n treatment of adults with neurotic disorders. The main contribtors were Wolpe [1], whose laboratory studies laid the basis of ear-reducing techniques, and Eysenck [2], who provided a theraeutic structure and rationale for this new therapy. They started heir work with agoraphobia. In contrast to psychoanalysists, who onsidered the disturbed behaviour (avoidance) as a symptom f underlying processes, behaviour therapists considered the disurbed behaviour as the whole problem. Neurotic behaviour was onsidered as learned behaviour, which could be unlearned. The earned behaviour was the problem and the solution was unlearnng. Behaviour therapy in the form of exposure was effective in the anagement of agoraphobia and other phobias, but was not so seful in the treatment of depression. Disturbances in thinking are rominent in this disorder, and to dealwith these aspects cognitive herapy was developed [3]. The American psychiatrists and psychoanalysts Aaron T. Beck nd Albert Ellis were the main contributors to the development f cognitive therapy. Ellis [4] developed rational psychotherapy, here the aim was to maximize rational and minimize irrational hinking. Beck [5] developed cognitive therapy. He discovered that epressed patients had a special pattern of thinking. They tended o think negatively about themselves (I am a failure), the world Other people don’t like me) and the future (It will always be like his). This is called Beck’s depressive triad. Therapy aimed at helpngpeople identify andcorrect their distorted thinkingand improve heir information processing and reasoning. Beck also included ehavioural exercises to obtain new corrective information. But n contrast to behavioural therapists, who considered behaviour hanges as the essence in therapy, Beck considered behavioural ethods as aims to obtain changes in thinking. Cognitive therapy ad considerable success in the treatment of depression. And the ognitive and behavioural forms of therapy merged in the form f cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in the successful treatment of