In this paper, I would like to compare two casework interventions approaches, cognitive-behavioral therapy and art therapy, for the people suffering from depression. I will first give an introduction about depression, including its symptoms, causes and treatments. Then, I will focus on the rationale and practical skills of the two approaches. After that, I will try to compare the two approaches in different aspects in order to analyze the strengths and limitations of the intervention method. Lastly, I will conclude about the contributions and limitations of each of the approach. Generally, depression is defined as a state of low mood and aversion to activity. It is known as a kind of mood disorder that affects people in many different ways such as emotional aspects, cognitive aspects, behavioral aspects and biological aspects (Gilbert, 2000 & ???, 2013). There are two types of depression: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia). MDD causes considerable personal distress and decreased functioning. It is also the leading cause of suicide (King, 1994). According to DSM-V, the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, if a person has at least 5 of the symptoms during the same 2-week period, he or she is very likely to be diagnosed as MDD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The symptoms of MDD are disabling and interfere with everyday activities. For instance, they reported reduced quality of life, impaired academic performance, work productivity and social relations (Judd, Akiskal, Zeller, Paulus, Leon, Maser, Endicott, Coryell, Kunovac, Mueller, Rice & Keller, 2002). People with this disorder may have only one episode of major depression in their lifetimes, typically during the adolescent years. But the depression is likely to recur repeatedly across the lifespan (Boland & Keller, 2002). Dysthymia is mild and chronic depression. It is less severe than major depression but the symptoms last for a long time – two years or more. According to DSM-V, if a person has two symptoms during the same two-week period, he/she is likely to be diagnosed as dysthymia (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Unlike MDD, people with dysthymia may experience one or more episodes of major depression during their lifetimes. And the effect of depression is characterized by persisting symptoms (Gilbert, 2000). According to the World Health Organization (2003), there are 450 million people suffering from mental illness all over the world. Inside that population, there are one-third of people having depression. WHO (2008) foresees that in 2030, depression will become the highest rank in the Disability Adjusted of Life Years (DALY), a measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death. In Hong Kong, mood disorder is the second most common mental disorders after schizophrenia (Hospital Authority, 2011). According to the interim report of Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey 2010-2013, there were 2500 16-59 years old people being interviewed. It was found out that there were 14% people suffering from mood disorder and 4% of them are having depression. The survey done by Hong Kong Mood Disorders Center in 2005 also reported that there were 8.3% (i.e. about 400 thousand) Hong Kong adults being diagnosed as depression. The incidence rate of female (9.7%) is higher than that of male (6.8%). Furthermore, the unemployed people were more likely to suffer from depression than working population. There are four main categories primary symptoms of depression. They included affective/mood symptoms, behavioral symptoms, cognitive symptoms and somatic/physical symptoms (???, 2013). Affective/mood symptoms refer to the depressed mood and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. Generally, people’s capacity of positive emotions is reduced. They may talk of feeling “empty.” At the same time, their negative feelings increased like angry, anxiety, shame, envy and resentment (???, 2013). In some serious cases, they even lack the capacity to experience any pleasure (Gilbert, 2000). Depressed people also often stop engaging in behaviors that have enjoyable or pleasurable in the past. They may withdraw form social activities, stop going out or meeting with friends or seeking help from others (Gilbert, 2000). They even lose their interests and easily cry (???, 2013). In the cognitive aspect, they have difficulty with maintaining attention, concentration or making decisions (Gilbert, 2000). The focus of thoughts and ruminations will become negative with negative ideas about the self, the world and the future (???, 2013). Their cognitive functioning may deteriorate that even memory will be affected. Depressed people also commonly experience problem in sleeping such as waking up too early or sleeping too lightly (Gilbert, 2000). There will be problem of insomnia or hypersomnia as well. Furthermore, they may lose their appetite and intere