Hi dragonphoto, I found CBT to be like putting a band aid on a wound, but not really fixing the cause of the depression deep within. I did get some relief from the worst symptoms. Things that really helped me from CBT were learning to get more sleep and making that a number one priority. And shoring up my external resources of support, like friends and family. Doing these two things helped me limp along better and regain some function.

I then reached a wall with the CBT therapist. Our work was too superficial to really solve the depression. When I started with a therapist who was willing to go deep and get at the root causes of my depression, I really made progress. He gave me hope, and that helped so much. We also did EMDR to heal some stuck trauma from the past.

Good luck with CBT. It can often help with some of the symptoms. My CBT therapist was quite confident she could solve my depression in 6 months, so this indicates to me she has had good success with this method with many people.