4.2 - Depression , phobias, OCD and Abnormality Flashcards
What type of disorder is depression?
A mood disorder
What are the two types of depression?
• major depressive disorder - an episode of depression that can occur suddenly
- can be reactive , caused by external factors eg. The death of a loved one
- can be endogenous , caused by internal factors eg. Neurological factors
• manic depression - alternation between two mood extremes ( mania and depression)
- change in mood often occurs in regular cycles of days or weeks
- episodes of mania involve overactivity , rapid speech and feeling extremely happy or agitated
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
- Irrational and negative self beliefs
- suicidal thoughts
- slower thought processes - difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- poor levels of concentration and unable to make decisions
- ‘black and white ‘ thinking as see most situations as all bad
What are the emotional characteristics of depression?
Negative emotions eg.
- Sadness
- anger
- diurnal mood variation = changes in mood throughout the day
- anhedonia = no longer enjoying activities or hobbies that used to be pleasurable
What are behavioural characteristics of depression?
- Increased or decreased levels of activity
- sleep disturbances , insomnia ( being unable to sleep ) or hypersomnia ( sleeping a lot more than usual )
- change in appetite
- pain eg. Headaches , joint ache and muscle ache
What is the cognitive approach assumption?
That behaviours are controlled by thoughts and beliefs
What is depression?
A mental disorder characterised by low mood and energy levels
What are the 4 types of depression?
• major depressive disorder - severe but often short- term
• persistent depressive disorder - long term or recurring
• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder - childhood temper tantrums
• premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Why did beck create becks cognitive theory (1967)?
Suggest that people are more vulnerable to depression due to cognitions
What are the 3 things that make up beck’s cognitive theory?
• faulty information processing
• negative self- schema
• negative triad
What is faulty information processing?
• focuses on the negative aspects
• ignoring the positive
• blowing small problems out of proportion
• thinking in black and white
What is a negative self-schema?
View self in a negative way
What is the negative triad?
Automatic dysfunctional view of self
negative view of the :
• the world
• the future
• of yourself
What is Ellis’s ABC model (1962) ?
• the model claims that disorders begin with an activating event ( A ) - eg. A failed exam
• leading to a belief ( B ) about why this happened
• this may be rational ( eg. I didn’t prepare well enough)
• or irrational ( eg. I’m too stupid to pass exams )
• the belief leads to a consequence ( C )
• rational beliefs produce appropriate consequences - eg. More revision
• irrational beliefs produce maladaptive ( bad and inappropriate) consequences ( eg. Getting depressed )
What does therefore ABC stand for?
A - activating event
B - Belief
C - consequence
What are the strengths of the cognitive explanation of depression?
• useful approach to depression as it considers the role of thoughts and beliefs
• Hollon and Kendall (1980) developed the Automatic thoughts questionnaire ( ATQ)
to measure the negative thinking associated with depression
• Harrell and Ryon (1983) used the ATQ to compare negative thinking in 114 depressed and non depressed participants
- the depressed participants scored a significantly higher ( more negative thinking) than the other groups , supporting a correlation between negative thinking and depression
What are the weaknesses for the cognitive explanation of depression?
• faulty cognitions may simply be the consequence of depression rather than its cause
- for eg. Depression may be caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain which causes people to think very negatively
• the person could begin to feel like themselves are to blame for their problems
What is a strength of beck’s cognitive theory based on supporting evidence?
• Grazioli & Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women and found that those who had high cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post- natal depression
• Clark & Beck ( 1999) reviewed research and found support as cognitions can be seen before which may have caused depression
What does CBT Stand for ?
Cognitive behaviour therapy
What is CBT ?
- CBT aims to identify and change the patients faulty cognitions
- the idea is that patients learn how to notice negative thoughts when they have them and test how accurate they are
What are the 3 key assumptions of the cognitive approach?
- individuals who suffer from mental disorders have distorted and irrational thinking - which may cause maladaptive behaviour
- it is the way you think about the problem rather than the problem itself which causes the mental disorder
- individuals can overcome mental disorders by learning to use more appropriate cognitions - if people think in more positive ways, they can be helped to feel better
What did Albert Ellis propose in 1962?
That good mental health is the result of rational thinking
What is the evaluation of Ellis’ theory?
- only offers a partial explanation
- some depression does occur as a result of an activating event
- however not all depression arises as a result of an obvious cause
What is a strength of beck’s cognitive theory based on CBT ?
Forms basis of cognitive behavioural therapy so triad can be identified and challenged and is successful