CBT’s wide-scale popularity is also partly due to its effectiveness in identifying and treating the following highly-prevalent and largely debilitating mental health conditions:
Depression: With more than 300 million reported cases worldwide, depression is one of the most widespread mental health conditions prevalent globally.
Anxiety Disorders: The way CBT helps anxiety disorder patients is that it exposes an individual to the event/object creating fear and panic, in a safe and controlled environment.
Schizophrenia: Several studies have shown that CBT can be a powerful tool when combined with other treatment methods in bringing down the intensity of the symptoms of schizophrenia and also decrease the risk of relapse.
Smoking Cessation: Nicotine addiction is one of the toughest addictions in the world to recover from. From the perspective of CBT, smoking and nicotine addiction are a type of learned behavior. Smokers usually indulge in the habit in order to handle day-to-day stress.
Occupational stress: Work-related stress is a global problem with negative implications for individuals and society.
Substance abuse disorders: Substance abuse disorders are often an adverse effect of altered or maladaptive cognitive patterns. The cognitive biases that often exist in substance abusers are denial, minimization of harmful effects, and severely self-destructive thought processes.