Cognitive explanations of depression Flashcards
1
Q
explaining depression
A
- the cognitive triad by Beck
- Ellis’ ABC model
2
Q
cognitive model
A
- proposes that individuals who are suffering from depression often have distorted + negative thinking
3
Q
cognitive triad by Beck
A
- believes that people become depressed because they have a negative outlook
= develop negative schemas - often develop in childhood + continue into adulthood
= life is viewed in a negative way due to negative framework
= cause depressive thoughts
stage 1: negative thoughts about self
stage 2: negative thoughts about the world
stage 3: negative thoughts about the future
4
Q
stage 1 - cognitive triad by Beck
A
- negative thoughts about self
- person has negative thoughts about themselves
- might feel worthless + helpless
- criticise themselves at every opportunity
5
Q
stage 2 - cognitive triad by Beck
A
- negative thoughts about the world
- person has negative thoughts that extend to the wider world around them
- negative + distorted thinking continues on a larger scale
6
Q
stage 3 - cognitive triad by Beck
A
- negative thoughts about the future
- person begins to think negatively about their future
= seem bleak + negative - can cause low self esteem
- person thinks negatively + gets depressed about the future
- such thinking can lead to suicidal thoughts
7
Q
ads of cognitive triad by Beck
A
- influential
- pregnant women
8
Q
disads of cognitive triad by Beck
A
- cause + effect
- symptoms develop
9
Q
influential - ads of cognitive triad by Beck
A
- cognitive appraoch has become very influential within psych during the last 30 years
- the theory is based on sound experimental research
= objective + permits testing - seems that distorted + negative thoughts are very common amongst patients who have depression
- these negative thoughts play a key role in developing depression
10
Q
pregnant women - ads of cognitive triad by Beck
A
- lots of supporting evidence to suggest that depression is caused by negative + irrational thinking + cognitive triad
- psych assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability + depression, before + after birth
= found that women who had cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post natal depession
= supports the cognitive approach that negative thinking can cause depression
11
Q
cause + effect - disads of cognitive triad by Beck
A
- cause + effect is not clear
- do negative + irrational thoughts cause depression?
- or does depression develop first to cause a patient to think in a negative + irrational way?
- cause + effect needs to be investigated further
= to be sure that negative thinking causes depression to occur
12
Q
symptoms develop - disads of cognitive triad by Beck
A
- beck’s theory can be criticised cus it doesn’t explain how symptoms might develop
- some depressed patients show symptoms of anger, hallucinations etc..
- theory fails to account for how these symptoms occur
13
Q
Ellis’ ABC model
A
- proposed that depression is caused by irrational beliefs
- mustabatory thinking
- A = activating events
- B = beliefs
- C = consequences
14
Q
A - Ellis’ ABC model
A
- activating events
- patients record events leading to negative thinking
- this is triggered by an event in the environment
- activating event has a negative effect on their mood + outlook
15
Q
B - Ellis’ ABC model
A
- beliefs
- patients record their thoughts associated w/ the event (rational or irrational)
- examples may be recorded in a journal to keep track of thinking
16
Q
C - Ellis’ ABC model
A
- consequences
- patients record the emotional response to their beliefs
- irrational beliefs can lead to negative emotions
- consequences could be debated w/ many different options
17
Q
mustabatory thinking - Ellis’ ABC model
A
- can cause irrational + negative thinking
= emotionally damaging + lead to depression - e.g. must.. otherwise I’m worthless.
- individual who has these beliefs is bound to be disappointed or depressed
= thoughts are too idealistic + expectations are too high
18
Q
ads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- research support
- scientific
- attachments
19
Q
disads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- cause + effect
- client blame
- biological approach
20
Q
research support - ads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- there is research support to the idea of Ellis’ ABC model as a cause of depression
- psych found that depressed patients who were given negative thought statements
= became more + more depressed
= supports view that negative thinking helps to cause depression - if psychs know what causes depression (negative thinking)
- can help provide effective treatments for curing depression (cognitive therapy)
21
Q
scientific - ads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- ABC model of depression is based on sound scientific evidence
- permits objective testing
- allows improvement of the model
- a greater understanding for depression as a whole
22
Q
attachments - ads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- supporting evidence that people who develop depression in adulthood
= experienced insecure attachments in childhood - seems to be a link w/ insecure childhood attachments contributing to negative thinking –> cause depression
23
Q
cause + effect - disads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- it is not clear whether negative thinking actually causes depression
- could be that depression occurs first
- this then causes the person to think in a negative irrational way
- cause + effect needs to be established when looking at causes of depression
24
Q
client blame - disads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- ABC model blames the client when looking at causes
- it gives the client some power to change the situation + improve symptoms
- could mean that situational factors are overlooked
e.g. family problems - instead the psych would examine negative + irrational thoughts alone as a cause
25
Q
biological approach - disads of Ellis’ ABC model
A
- biological approach criticises cognitive approach
- biological approach suggests that genes + neurotransmitters (lower levels of serotonin) may cause
- psych found that there is a gene related to depression
= makes it 10x more likely to develop depression
= bio approach states that bio factors are more likely to cause depression than cog factors
