Depression among Adolescents: A Review of Beck’s Cognitive Behaviour Theory

Abstract

The phenomenon of depression has been a major concern recently, both nationally and globally. Depression is a disorder that involves changes in thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviours that make a person's daily life difficult, and if left untreated, can adversely affect individuals and society. Depression among adolescents certainly deserves attention as this group is considered as an asset that will drive the country in the future. Over the past few decades, Cognitive Behaviour Theory (CBT) has been proven to be the most dominant theory in psychological studies including depression in adolescents. CBT emphasises the interaction between the dimensions of affective, behavioural, and cognitive by incorporating cognitive and behavioural concepts and techniques in its treatment. It is found that, under the CBT group, Learned Helplessness Theory and Beck's Cognitive Behaviour Theory were the two most widely discussed on the concept of depression to date. Therefore, this article will discuss the background and the concept of these theories in describing depression. However, Beck’s CBT has been chosen as the most appropriate theory in discussing depression among adolescents based on the justifications addressed in this article.