Books / Cognitive & behavioural
Cognitive Therapy of Depression
Cognitive Therapy of Depression (1979), by Aaron T. Beck, A. John Rush, Brian F. Shaw and Gary Emery, presents a structured approach to cognitive therapy for depression.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Aaron T. Beck, A. John Rush, Brian F. Shaw and Gary Emery
Edition: 1st edition, paperback (1987)
Publisher: Guilford Press
Edition year: 1987
First published: 1979
Language and origin: English (United States)
ISBN: 9780898629194
Form and genre: Treatment Manual & Clinical Guide
Level: Intermediate
Historical era: 1960–1979 · Humanistic, Cognitive & Systemic Turn
Covers: Collaborative empiricism and Socratic questioning; Activity scheduling, mastery, and pleasure ratings; Daily Record of Dysfunctional Thoughts (DRDT); Identifying and modifying silent assumptions (schemas)
APA 7th reference: Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1987). Cognitive therapy of depression. Guilford Press.
What it is & historical context
Published in 1979, this guide presents an approach to cognitive therapy for depression developed by Beck and colleagues. A 1977 study by Rush, Beck, Kovacs and Hollon compared cognitive therapy with imipramine before the book was published.
Core clinical themes & arguments
The guide discusses the therapeutic relationship, the structure of treatment, behavioural and cognitive techniques, homework and relapse. Its account is presented here as a description of the authors’ approach.
Clinical practice, reception & legacy
Cognitive therapy for depression has been studied in many settings since the book appeared. A single early trial cannot establish the relative benefits of treatment options for every person; evidence and recommendations depend on the condition and comparison.
Reader level & educational scope
Catalogued at an intermediate reading level within cognitive & behavioural (treatment manual & clinical guide). This entry summarises published bibliographic, historical, and peer-reviewed records for educational orientation; it does not provide personal clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: Comparative Efficacy of Cognitive Therapy and Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Depressed Outpatients (A. John Rush, Aaron T. Beck, Maria Kovacs, and Steven Hollon, 1977)
Reference: Rush, A. J., Beck, A. T., Kovacs, M., & Hollon, S. (1977). Comparative efficacy of cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of depressed outpatients. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1(1), 17–37.
A 1977 randomised trial compared cognitive therapy with imipramine in 41 depressed outpatients. It preceded the 1979 book and should not be described as testing the published manual.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: In cognitive therapy of depression, behavioural techniques such as activity scheduling, Mastery and Pleasure ratings, and graded task assignments are utilized in early sessions not merely to raise activity levels, but as empirical experiments to test negative predictions of helplessness and anhedonia. (Detailed in Chapter 7 ("Application of Behavioral Techniques") of Cognitive Therapy of Depression (1979).) [Source 1: Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. Guilford Press.]
Claim 2: A 1977 study randomly assigned 41 depressed outpatients to cognitive therapy or imipramine. (The trial preceded the 1979 book; it does not establish the best treatment for every patient or setting.) [Source 2: Rush, A. J., Beck, A. T., Kovacs, M., & Hollon, S. (1977). Comparative efficacy of cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of depressed outpatients. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1(1), 17–37.]
Sources and inspection notes
Supports: Publisher identifies ISBN 9780898629194 as the first edition, originally copyrighted in 1979; the full text was not checked.
Supports: Report of the 1977 randomised comparison of cognitive therapy and imipramine in 41 outpatients; the study predates the book.
Cognitive therapy of depression. (1979). Bibliothèque nationale de France catalogue.
Supports: Catalogue records the 1979 publication and original hardcover ISBN 0898620007.
Cognitive therapy of depression. Karnac Books catalogue.
Supports: Catalogue identifies ISBN 9780898629194 as the 1987 paperback.