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Mending a broken heart: a single case study on cognitive behavioural therapy for depression after romantic relationship break-up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2020

Muthmainah Mufidah Gozan Open the ORCID record for Muthmainah Mufidah Gozan [Opens in a new window]  and
Adhityawarman Menaldi Open the ORCID record for Adhityawarman Menaldi [Opens in a new window]
Muthmainah Mufidah Gozan*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
Adhityawarman Menaldi
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: muthmainah.mufidah81@ui.ac.id
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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 behavioural therapy (CBT). However, CBT in the Indonesian context, especially with religious and ethnic problems in a romantic relationship before marriage, is limited. This study aims to explore this by presenting the case of a 26-year-old Indonesian male with depressive episodes after a painful break-up due to religious and cultural differences. The previous history of childhood abuse and problems in social adjustment and communication had also worsened his conditions. CBT was used for treatment as he developed many negative thoughts about himself and had maladaptive beliefs about his conditions and his 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.

Key learning aims

  1. (1) To understand delivering CBT in a single case with mild depression triggered by relationship break-up.

  2. (2) To understand the applicability of CBT in the Indonesian context with a cultural and religious background.

  3. (3) To reflect on the challenges faced and treatment strategies in implementing an adapted CBT technique.

Keywords

break-upcognitive behavioural therapydepressionromantic relationshipyoung adults
Type
Case Study
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 13 , 2020 , e55
Copyright
© British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2020

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References

Further Reading

Boelen, P. A., & Reijntjes, A. (2009). Negative cognitions in emotional problems following romantic relationship break-ups. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 25, 11–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuijpers, P., Berking, M., Andersson, G., Quigley, L., Kleiboer, A., & Dobson, K. S. (2013). A meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy for adult depression, alone and in comparison with other treatments. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 58, 376–385.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muñoz, R. F., Miranda, J., & Aguilar-Gaxiola, S. (2000). Individual Therapy Manual for Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Depression. Santa Monica, CA, USA: Rand.Google Scholar

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