DOES COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY AFFECT PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY-DEPRESSION SCORES AND SALIVA CORTISOL IN DEPRESSION?

Depression is a complex, multifactorial, and heterogeneous psychiatric disorder that currently affects millions of people worldwide. Overproduction of cortisol is found in stressful conditions, including depression. Excess cortisol will trigger the activation of the excitatory neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This research was aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in improving the performance of individuals with depression and its relation to patient's cortisol levels. This research was an experimental research with the pre-post test. Depressed patients aged between 18 and 65 years, were evaluated by a psychiatrist and diagnosed with depression according to the DSM-5. CBT is carried out with regularly planned sessions. In this study, CBT was carried out for six sessions, with a duration of 1 session per week. Cortisol levels in saliva were examined with Human ELISA Cortisol, before and after psychotherapy. A total of 100 patients participated in this study. The mean age of the participants was 37.45 +/- 9.67. All patients had depressive disorders for a mean of 2.45 +/- 1.01 years. Statistically, there is a significant difference between the scores for the perceived stress scale, STAI-I, STAI-II, BDI and Salivary Cortisol Level before and after the CBT session. Perceived stress scale scores, STAI-I, STAI-II, BDI and Salivary Cortisol Level, decreased after CBT intervention compared with prior to CBT intervention. In conclusion, cognitive behavioural therapy affects perceived stress, anxiety depression scores and saliva cortisol levels in depressed patients.