Q. I have been suffering from depression and anxiety for about 5-6 years. I have been practicing CBT self help methods for the last 2 years. all my knowledge of this subject was aquired from david burns books(“feeling good the new mood therapy”,”the feeling good handbook”) I have improved tremendesly and reduced a lot of my depression,anxiety,self confidence issues etc… mostly becuse I practice the methods(“3 columns technique”,”feared fantasy technique” and such…) for about 1.5-2.5 hours per day but still many of my problems bother me and cause me anxiety,Inferiority feeling,shyness etc.. I have heard that substantial effect can only be achieved with the help of psychotherapy but I cant seem to locate any good therapist in my area (I live in israel). what can I do to improve more??? and another question: is there a limit to how much I can improve using self help methods? I am asking this because most of my improvment was achieved using self help methods and not psychotherapy.

A. It is easier and quicker to have a therapist help you along with your depression. If you have improved by essentially being your own therapist, then what you are doing is working. Cognitive behavioral therapy is very common and widely practiced. If you feel that your self help methods are no longer working, you should have no problem finding a CBT therapist in your area.

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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 28 Mar 2005