ITEMS of INTEREST

'Thought therapy' destined for wider use, say medical professionals

with contributions from Benedict Carey, Patrick Peterson, Uwe Siemon-Netto, Randy Kindred

"It's a treatment that can relieve depression, calm anxiety, improve sleep quality, and reduce chronic pain. It can also ease symptoms of bulimia, bipolar disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, and schizophrenia.

"And because it's not a prescription drug, there are no side effects. ...

"Cognitive behavior therapy, a short-term talking cure, helps people make small, seemingly mundane changes in the way they think (the cognitive) and act (the behavioral) that can produce profound and lasting recovery. Although it came of age in the 1980s as a treatment for depression, the therapy has proved itself effective in recent years against more than a dozen illnesses in which mental distress plays some part. Between 50 percent and 60 percent of people diagnosed with depression who complete a course of the therapy show significant improvement—a success rate that's at least as good as that seen among patients on drug regimens.

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