The vision of Analytical Therapy-Behavioral on people who present depressive behaviors

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is a mental disorder widely experienced today, constituting a serious public health problem in Brazil. It is estimated that more than 300 million people suffer from depression around the world, and this condition differs from the usual mood swings and short-term emotional responses common to the challenges of everyday life. Behavior analysis, as an approach, has its view on depression, understanding it as response patterns acquired and maintained under certain contingencies. Objective: To discuss the characteristics of depression from the perspective of behavior analysis and the contributions of behavioral-analytic psychotherapy in people with depressive behaviors. Methods: this is an Integrative Literature Review carried out in light of six recommended steps. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, three articles were selected that addressed the central theme of the study. Results and discussion: In view of the above, it was observed that the main result of this research was the identification that the term “behavior analysis” when launched in the Databases of the Virtual Health Library (VHL) directs the search for studies that deal with analysis of behaviors associated with some pathology, according to the biomedical understanding of this term. This result highlights a contradiction that involves Psychology as a science linked to the field of health and/or human sciences. Final considerations: The need for studies that discuss behavior analysis as a theoretical approach brought by Skinner is highlighted, since many studies considered it in common sense and not as an aspect of Psychology.