Behavioral Activation Therapy and Depression

Behavioral Activation Therapy means going through the motions like a robot.

I recently read Richard Wiseman's book The As If Principle. In it, Wiseman discusses Behavioral Activation Therapy. My theory is that depression is the result of several of our Six Needs going unmet (often due to a single major blocker), which sends us into a negative feedback loop in which we become so focused on that blocker (and subsequently our unmet needs) that we stop working to meet our needs in other ways. This ultimately boils down to behavior, and this is the same conclusion psychologist Peter Lewinsohn came to when he developed his "behavioral approach to depression."

As summarized by Wiseman, Behavioral Activation Therapy involves four steps. The first step is to identify problematic behaviors. This could be actions such as binging on junk food, sleeping all day, lashing out at loved ones, and so on. How I would put this is: what actions are you taking that are depriving yourself of your Six Needs? For example, if you are binging on junk food you are doing physiological harm to yourself, you likely feel a sense of shame about it (esteem), you may be hiding the behavior from loved ones, which puts a wall between you and them (social), and you may feel like you aren't able to control your actions or hopeless about the emotions driving you to eat (autonomy).

The second step is to identify desired goals. In the example provided by Wiseman, some suggestions for values one might hold are provided as a prompt for goal setting (and wouldn’t you know it? These generally line up with the Six Needs.). Do you value your health (physiological), your relationships (social), your hobbies (growth), etc.? If so, what related goals can you set in support of those values? If you value your friendships, you might make a goal to spend more time with a friend you've neglected.

The third step is to develop a plan for avoiding the problematic behaviors and working towards the goals. Continuing with the above examples, a plan to avoid the behavior might include ridding the home of junk food and inviting your friend out for an experience that doesn't involve food. Finally, the fourth step is to execute the plan.

This approach appears to be widely successful. Wiseman cites literature showing that Behavioral Activation Therapy is as successful at treating depression as taking anti-depressants is and, as he points out, does not have any of the side effects. Wiseman, of course, uses these studies to support his As If Principle (act a certain way to feel that way). By acting as if you are not depressed, you will become not depressed.

This is not to say that Behavioral Activation will solve all of your problems. In my example, the junk food binging is probably a symptom of a weightier challenge. However, by my theory, exiting the negative feedback loop by changing your behavior so that you begin to fill your Six Needs again, you'll be in a better mindset to tackle the challenge (i.e. the source of your misery).

In my book, one of the first suggestions I make after explaining the Six Needs is that the reader take some time to come up with their Values List, a Goals List, and a To Do List, each one narrowing down to an achievable list of steps to tackle in order to reach goals that represent their values. If you're already armed with these lists, you're in a position to "act as if" you're not depressed from the minute you encounter a major blocker. The suggestions I provide are the result of lived experience and loads of research, but it's always great to receive additional confirmation that my methods and reasoning are sound.

Do you have experience with depression and Behavioral Activation Theory? Did it help in your case or did another approach have better results?