Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for an Adult Woman with Depression Who Receives Antidepressant Medication

Andi Tenri Faradiba; Fenny Kurniawan

doi:10.22146/gamajpp.99687

Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for an Adult Woman with Depression Who Receives Antidepressant Medication

Andi Tenri Faradiba, Fenny Kurniawan

(Submitted 3 September 2024)

(Published 25 September 2025)

Abstract

Depression profoundly disrupts interpersonal relationships and impairs daily functioning. It is primarily associated with dysregulation of key neurotransmitter systems, making pharmacological intervention essential. Evidence indicates that combining pharmacotherapy with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) produces superior outcomes compared to pharmacotherapy alone in managing depression. This case study examines the application of CBT alongside antidepressant medication in the treatment of a 26-year-old woman working in the financial sector who experienced chronic anxiety and pervasive feelings of inadequacy. Her cognitive distortions led her to interpret neutral stimuli as threatening. The administration of quetiapine improved her sleep quality and enhanced emotional resilience under stress. Subsequently, she completed four brief online CBT sessions, which resulted in significant cognitive restructuring and enabled her to critically evaluate and modify negative automatic thoughts in daily life. As a result, she demonstrated greater self-efficacy and developed a more positive self-concept. This case contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of combined pharmacotherapy and CBT in reducing depressive symptoms among adult women.

Keywords

brief CBT; online therapy; depression; core belief; quetiapine; generalization

Full Text: PDF

DOI: 10.22146/gamajpp.99687

References

Cully, J. A., & Teten, A. L. (2008). A therapist’s guide to brief cognitive behavioral therapy. Department of Veterans Affairs, South Central MIRECC.

Cui, L., Li, S., Wang, S., Zhang, H., & Chen, Y. (2024). Major depressive disorder: Hypothesis, mechanism, prevention and treatment. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 9(30). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-024-01738-y

Cuijpers, P., Miguel, C., Harrer, M., Plessen, C. Y., Ciharova, M., Ebert, D., & Karyotaki, E. (2023). Cognitive behavior therapy vs. control conditions, other psychotherapies, pharmacotherapies and combined treatment for depression: A comprehensive meta-analysis including 409 trials with 52,702 patients. World Psychiatry, 22(2), 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21051

Gautam, S., Jain, A., Gautam, M., Vahia, V. N., & Grover, S. (2017). Clinical practice guidelines for the management of depression. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 59(Suppl. 1), S34–S50. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.196973

Hamdani, S. U., Zill‐e‐Huma, Zafar, S. W., Suleman, N., Um‐ul‐Baneen, Waqas, A., & Rahman, A. (2022). Effectiveness of relaxation techniques as an active ingredient of psychological interventions to reduce distress, anxiety and depression in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 16(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-022-00541-y

Kambeitz-Ilankovic, L., Rzayeva, U., Völkel, L., Wenzel, J., Weiske, J., Jessen, F., ... Kambeitz, J. (2022). A systematic review of digital and face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy for depression. NPJ Digital Medicine, 5(1), 144. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-022-00692-2

Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia. (2019). Riset kesehatan dasar 2018. Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Kesehatan. http://labmandat.litbang.depkes.go.id/images/download/laporan/RKD/2018/Laporan_Nasional_RKD2018_FINAL.pdf

Kendler, K. S., & Gardner, C. O. (2010). Dependent stressful life events and prior depressive episodes in the prediction of major depression: The problem of causal inference in psychiatric epidemiology. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67(11), 1120–1127. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.136

Krause, K. R., Courtney, D. B., Chan, B. W., Bonato, S., Aitken, M., Relihan, J., & Szatmari, P. (2021). Problem-solving training as an active ingredient of treatment for youth depression: A scoping review and exploratory meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03260-9

Nutt, D. J. (2008). Relationship of neurotransmitters to the symptoms of major depressive disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 69(1), 4–7. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.0804e1

Purborini, N., Lee, M.-B., Devi, H. M., & Chang, H.-J. (2021). Associated factors of depression among young adults in Indonesia: A population-based longitudinal study. Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, 120(8), 1434–1443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfma.2021.01.008

Philips, B., & Wennberg, P. (2013). The importance of therapy motivation for patients with substance use disorders. Psychotherapy, 50(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033360

Sam, J., Ismail, S. I., Tan, K.-A., Mohd-Sidik, S., & Osman, Z. J. (2023). Development of brief cognitive behavioral therapy workshop study protocol for primary care attendees with common mental disorders in Selangor, Malaysia. Jurnal Psikologi Malaysia, 37(1), 1–11.

Santos, B., Pinho, L., Nogueira, M. J., Pires, R., Sequeira, C., & Montesó-Curto, P. (2024). Cognitive restructuring during depressive symptoms: A scoping review. Healthcare, 12, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12010001 (jika DOI berbeda, sesuaikan sesuai artikel asli)

Stahl, S. M. (2014). Stahl's essential psychopharmacology: Prescriber's guide (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Stein, T. S., Carl, E., Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., & Smits, J. A. J. (2021). Looking beyond depression: A meta-analysis of the effect of behavioral activation on depression, anxiety, and activation. Psychological Medicine, 51(9), 1491–1504. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719004295

Weiner, I., & Otto, R. K. (2013). Handbook of psychology: Forensic psychology (2nd ed.). Wiley.

Refbacks

There are currently no refbacks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.