cognitive behavioral therapy

noun

variants: or less commonly cognitive behavior therapy

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Definition of cognitive behavioral therapy

: psychotherapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy by identifying faulty or maladaptive patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior and substituting them with desirable patterns of thinking, emotional response, or behavior —abbreviation CBT

Note: Cognitive behavioral therapy is used in the treatment of various mental and emotional disorders including depression, anxiety, anorexia, and substance abuse. Cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are often used interchangeably.

Recent Examples of cognitive behavioral therapy from the Web

People addicted to cocaine are generally offered counseling services or cognitive behavioral therapy, according to Ersche.

— rory smith, CNN, "Rising cocaine purity and availability fueling addictions in Europe," 7 June 2018
The specific type of psychotherapy associated with the most research evidence for efficacy in adult ADHD is cognitive behavioral therapy, with particular attention to executive function difficulties.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Children aren't the only ones with ADHD; adults get it as well," 17 May 2018
This patient participated in the Johns Hopkins smoking cessation pilot study that combined cognitive behavioral therapy with a compound containing psilocybin, the chemical that gives some mushrooms psychedelic properties.

— jason diamond, The New Republic, "Can Psychedelic Drugs Do Good?," 15 May 2018
Gates is in the medical magnet program at Jones and hopes to pursue a career in cognitive behavioral therapy.

— annie martin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Hotelier Rosen awards scholarships to 3 future Rollins students," 10 May 2018
In a small, preliminary study, Sanacora and his colleagues have found that patients who received cognitive behavioral therapy along with ketamine appeared to have an improved mood for longer than patients who received ketamine alone.

— moises velasquez-manoff, WIRED, "Ketamine Stirs Up Hope—and Controversy—as a Depression Drug," 8 May 2018
The momentous traumas that World War II veterans experienced also shaped the work of Aaron Beck, the author of an influential book on depression and a founder of cognitive behavioral therapy.

— daniel horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "In the worst human traumas, psychologists found the roots of happiness," 6 May 2018
Woebot analyzes the language Mr. Impson uses and provides coping strategies drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy.

— aili mcconnon, WSJ, "AI-Powered Systems Target Mental Health," 29 Apr. 2018
Their study showed that cognitive behavioral therapy can be made accessible to people with low literacy and lower educational levels without losing its effectiveness.

— freddie white-johnson, STAT, "Making health research relevant — and less feared — in the Mississippi Delta," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cognitive behavioral therapy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cognitive behavioral therapy

1975

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Medical Dictionary

cognitive behavioral therapy

noun

variants: also cognitive behavior therapy

medical Definition of cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy prods patients to do things that will make them feel a sense of accomplishment and connection, and to avoid interpreting situations as being worse than they are.
—David H. Freedman, Discover, January/February 2013

The most scientifically studied technique, cognitive behavior therapy, teaches people to identify and dispute self-degrading thoughts … that can feed on themselves and cause people to sink into despair.
—Benedict Carey, The New York Times, 10 Jan. 2006