CBT therapy

Question 1

what is cognitive behavioural therapy

Answer 1

a combination of cognitive therapy, a way of changing maladaptive thoughts, and behavioural therapy, changing behaviour in response to these thoughts and beliefs

Question 2

what is the basic assumption of CBT

Answer 2

that people often have distorted beliefs which influence feelings and behavior in maladaptive ways

Question 3

what are the aims of CBT when treating schizophrenia

Answer 3

• help patients identify and correct faulty interpretations
• establish links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and their general level of functioning enabling patients to consider alternative ways of explaining why they feel or behave the way they do

Question 4

outline how CBT works when treating schizophrenia

Answer 4

1) assessment- patients express thoughts and experiences to a therapist and realistic goals are discussed
2) engagement- therapist empathizes w patent and provides explanations for their distress can be developed
2) ABC model- PPS gives an explanation of activating events or symptoms that cause their emotional and behavioral consequences, therefore therapist can rationalize their beliefs via dispute leading to a change
3) normalization- information that many ppl have unusual experiences reduced anxiety and the sense of isolation increasing the feeling of belief that they will get better
4) use of questioning to help PPS understand illogical delusions aiding with reality checking
5) helping with the development of alternative explanations-

Question 5

evaluate CBT

Answer 5

1) research support found that compared to drug treatments alone, CBT was effective in reducing rehospitalisation rates 18 months after treatment as well as reducing severity of symptoms and improving social functioning when compared to drug treatments
2) nature vs nurture- takes the nurture side of the debate limiting treatments
3) limited access- despite being recommended as a treatment for schizophrenics it is estimated that in the UK only 1/10 of those who could benefit gain access to this form of therapy- a survey carried out found that of 187 randomly selected pps diagnosed with Schizophrenia only 13 had been offered CBT limiting its overall effectiveness
4) only effective for certain individuals- CBT requires a willingness to engage and compromise about treatment however this can be hard with individuals suffering with schizophrenia as positive symptoms decrease awareness and negative symptoms often lead to a reluctance to engage, both of which are needed for self improvement