Cognitive approach to treating depression: Cognitive behaviour therapy

Question 1

Types of cognitive behaviour therapy

Answer 1

Beck’s cognitive therapy

Ellis’s rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)

Question 2

Cognitive behaviour therapy

Answer 2

a method for treating mental disorders (e.g. depression) based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques
└cognitive: aims to deal with thinking, challenging negative thoughts
└behavioural: behavioural activation

Question 3

CBT: Beck’s cognitive therapy

Answer 3

└identify automatic thoughts about the world self and future (negative triad)
└directly challenge negative thoughts
└test the reality of these negative beliefs
└homework such as to record an enjoyed event (patient as scientist)
└in future sessions they can refer back to the evidence to prove patients statements incorrect

Question 4

CBT: Ellis’s rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)

Answer 4

└extends the ABC model to an ABCDE model
└D: dispute, E: effect
└identify and dispute (challenge) irrational thoughts
└vigorous argument
└empirical argument: disputing evidence of negative belief
└logical argument: disputing logic and facts of negative thought

Question 5

Behavioural activation

Answer 5

└along cognitive aspects of CBT the therapist may also encourage a depressed patient to be more active and engage in enjoyable activities
└provides more evidence for the irrational nature of beliefs

Question 6

Cognitive approach to treating depression: CBT

Strengths (1)

Answer 6

Effective
└March et al (2007)
└compared the effects of CBT with antidepressant drugs and a combination of the two
└in 327 adolescents with the main diagnosis of depression
└results after 36 weeks: (percentage that showed significant improvement)
└CBT: 81%
└antidepressants: 81%
└CBT + antidepressants: 86%
└CBT just as effective as drugs- good cause for making CBT first choice of treatment in public health care systems like the NHS

Question 7

Cognitive approach to treating depression: CBT

Limitations (2)

Answer 7

CBT may not work for severe cases
└some cases of depression are so severe patients cant motivate themselves to engage in hard cognitive work of CBT- can’t pay attention
└can treat patient with antidepressants till they are more motivated and can do CBT
└limitation as can’t be used as the sole treatment for all cases of depression

Success may be due to therapist-patient relationship
└Rosenzweig (1936)
└suggested the differences between different methods of psychotherapy (sych as between CBT and systematic desensitisation) is very small
└suggests the therapist-patient relationship determines the success rather than any particular technique that is used
└comparative reviews (e.g. Luborsky et al 2002) find very small differences, talking most important