AS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - COGNITIVE APPROACH TO EXPLANING AND TREATING DEPRESSION

Question 1

Describe Beck’s explanation of depression

Answer 1

Beck says there are 3 contributing factors to cognitive vulnerability to depression:

1) Faulty information processing: only focusing on the negatives and ignoring the positives in life. It also involves absolutist “black and white” thinking; if one small thing is bad then it’s blown out of proportion and perceived as a total disaster
2) Negative self schemas: these lead to cognitive biases; depressed ppl tend to overgeneralise their thinking, i.e. if a depressed person gets some bad feedback they then generalise and consider themselves worthless
3) Negative triad: a pessimistic view of the self, the world and the future

Question 2

Evaluate Beck’s model of depression

Answer 2

(+) Grazioli and Terry (2000) found that pregnant women who were deemed to have higher cog vulnerability according to
Beck’s theory were more likely to suffer from post natal depression after the birth; supports Beck’s ideas
(+) Led to Beck’s cognitive therapy (a form of CBT); a useful real life application. It’s very effective, which suggests Beck’s ideas are correct
(-) Can’t explain all types of depression e.g. when ppl have severe anger
(-) Blames the client and not the situational factors, which may only contribute to low self esteem; says that they’re the problem

Question 3

Describe Ellis’ ABC model

Answer 3

Ellis put forward an ABC model:

A - Activating event: negative events like failing a test or ending a relationship may trigger irrational beliefs
B - Belief: as a result of the activating event, we develop negative, irrational beliefs e.g. “I am worthless”
C - Consequence: the consequence of these beliefs is development of depression

Question 4

Evaluate Ellis’ ABC model

Answer 4

(-) Doesn’t explain the many cases of depression that don’t have an activating event; an incomplete explanation
(+) Led to the dev of Ellis’s REBT (a form of CBT); real life application
(-) Doesn’t explain some symptoms of depression e.g. delusions and hallucinations
(-) Beck’s theory may offer a better explanation (see Grazioli and Terry (2000))

Question 5

Describe Beck’s cognitive therapy

Answer 5

Aims to identify the negative triad, then test the validity of these beliefs. It tests these thoughts by using the “client is the scientist” approach; client will often be set homework e.g. if the client believes everyone laughs at them, they’ll be asked to record times when people don’t laugh at them in normal social interactions. When these beliefs are raised in future sessions, therapist can produce the results of these homeworks to show they are invalid

Question 6

Describe Ellis’ rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT)

Answer 6

ABC is extended to ABCDE (dispute and effect); REBT is based upon vigorous disputing of irrational beliefs held by clients. Aims to change irrational beliefs and thus break the link between negative life events and depression. E.g. if client reports how unfair they think life is, the therapist would identify this as utopianism (an irrational belief) and this would be vigorously disputed

Empirical argument involves arguing whether there’s evidence to support the beliefs, whilst logical argument argues whether the beliefs logically follow on from the facts.

Question 7

Evaluate CBT as a whole

Answer 7

(+) March (2004) found that after 36 weeks, CBT was 81% effective, drugs were 81% effective, and a combo of CBT + drugs were 87% effective; shows CBT to be just as effective as drugs, and even better together.
(-) Some clients really want to explore their past, but CBT doesn’t allow for this; can be frustrating for some clients
(-) In some severe cases, clients can’t motivate themselves to attend the sessions, which makes it an inappropriate treatment for them
(+) Unlike drug therapy, there’s no side effects
(-) Quite expensive, requires special training