Cognitive Behavior Therapy for the Patients with Diabetes and Obesity

Abstract

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a useful method for patients with diabetes and obesity for their life style related diseases as well as for their comorbid mental disorders. A number of obesity patients have various kinds of cognitive distortions related to their eating habits (e.g., "I never eat too much" "I gain weight even after just drinking water"). These cognitive distortions occur in the process of lose-and-gain weight cycles when the patients go on self imposed diets. Therefore it is important for those patients to identify and correct their distortions and to improve their self-efficacy for their exercise and diet. It is useful to evaluate patient's characteristics and personal traits such as all-or-none thinking and overgeneralization. In clinical situations, it is important that the patients notice the relation between their behavior (eating, exercise) and the change of their blood sugar and/or body weight themselves. It is also necessary to support improvement of their self-efficacy and encourage their behavioral change. CBT is very useful to modify patient's cognitive distortions and to enhance their self-efficacy. Therefore all medical staff involved in diabetes and obesity clinics should know the basics of CBT and apply CBT in clinical fields.