Introduction to the Special Issue: Cognitive Mechanisms of Change in the Treatment of Depression

Abstract

Depression is a highly debilitating and recurrent mental health condition. Efforts to understand the mechanisms of cognitive change in the treatment of depression are important to optimize psychotherapy outcome and to prevent relapse and recurrence. The articles in this special issue examine cognitive change in cognitive behavioral therapy by incorporating clinical samples and clinical settings, utilizing empirically supported assessment instruments and protocolized psychotherapy techniques, and employing methodologies and statistical strategies designed to address questions related to cognitive mechanisms in treatment outcome. These articles examine the role of cognitive processing, structure, and content over the course of cognitive therapy for depression and evaluate the impact of positive and negative events on treatment outcomes.