Coping With Hearbreak: The Role Of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Addressing Cultural Influnces on Breakup Induced Depression

Abstract

Having and building a romantic relationship is an important aspect of development in young adulthood. However, there are some challenges in relationships, including basic principle differences such as faith and culture that lead to fights and break-ups. Going through a break-up is not easy for some people and is considered to be one of the stress sources in people’s lives that often links to depression symptoms. It is crucial to focus on intervention aiming at the cognitive aspects, including negative thoughts and bias when dealing with depression, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This paper presenting the case of a 27-year-old Pakistani female with depressive symptoms after a painful break-up due to cultural differences. The previous history of childhood abuse and problems in social adjustment and communication had also worsened her conditions. CBT was used for treatment as she developed many negative thoughts about herself and had maladaptive beliefs about her conditions and her future. This case study report shows the effectiveness of CBT intervention in decreasing depression symptoms, such as sadness and the thought of being unworthy, as well as increasing self-confidence in facing difficulties which ultimately helped her to cope with insomnia and social isolation.

Keywords: break-up; cognitive behavioral therapy; depression; romantic relationship; young adults