With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.

Cognitive means thinking and so, cognitive behavioral therapy is one form of talk therapy that examines how your thinking affects your behavior and therefore, your mood as well.

For instance, if you and a few other people are having a conversation and one person is completely negative and pessimistic, it eventually leads to you feeling negative and pessimistic, too. We all have a certain amount of resiliency, but it can be very challenging when you're constantly bombarded with negativity.

This same type of negative voice can go on in your own head automatically and can affect the way you think, feel and view yourself, others and the world in general. It is like having a dark cloud over you. If you say things to yourself like "I am ugly and fat," you can see how this will lead to feeling down. This is simplifying the concept, but gives you a good idea.

The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to change the way you think so that you can feel better! This is an excellent, well studied form of talk therapy that can be as effective as medication for depression and anxiety. It can be used for other psychiatric disorders and insomnia. This is not a one size fits all, just as ECT and medications are not panaceas.

Keys are recognizing the presence of automatic, distorted thoughts, believing that you can change these thoughts and being motivated for change. Change can be difficult even if it is positive. It takes time and energy to change your thoughts and develop alternative, healthier thoughts, so be patient with yourself.

Two excellent resources used by mental health professionals are listed below. We would recommend that you work directly with a mental health professional who has specific training in cognitive behavioral therapy. Very few people will be able to work through these books alone and have success.

• "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy," David D. Burns, M.D.
• "Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think," Dennis Greenberger, Ph.D. and C. Padesky, Ph.D.

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