COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IN MAJOR DEPRESSION DISORDER: CASE REPORT

This study was prepared to evaluate the psychotherapy process of a 26-year-old female client who showed symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. The therapy process was based on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) school. The client's parents divorced 1 year ago due to severe incompatibility. After the intense sadness and distress she experienced in this process, she started to live with her mother after graduating from university. Since her mother did not work, the financial responsibility was placed entirely on her, which deeply shook the client. She quit her job due to the problems she experienced in her first professional experience and this made her feel very unsuccessful and inadequate. When evaluated with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, the picture was accompanied by depressed mood, loss of interest and desire, feelings of worthlessness and guilt; significant changes in sleep and appetite were also added, and the complaints of the person gradually increased over time. The client was first given psychoeducation about what Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is, how the process works and the general functioning of the therapy. A therapeutic relationship was established with the client and steps were taken to strengthen the relationship. The progress of the therapy was primarily handled at the cognitive level; in this process, the client's automatic thoughts and core beliefs were identified. Then, the process was continued at the behavioral level and appropriate behavioral techniques were applied to the client. A total of 10 sessions were conducted once a week for 45 minutes. Thanks to the structured steps of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a significant decrease in the severity of the client's depressive symptoms and a significant increase in her functionality were observed. It is of great importance to increase the number of case report studies in order to transfer the experiences in the clinical field.

Keywords

Depressive Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy