Cognitive treatments for depression

Question 1

treating depression

Answer 1

• CBT by Beck
• REBT by Ellis

Question 2

CBT by Beck

Answer 2

• challenge + restructure negative ways of thinking = become more positive + rational
• used in individuals + small groups
• patients encouraged to identify their negative thoughts = ‘thought catching’
• use the cognitive triad as a basis for CBT
• positive thinking will have a positive impact on behaviour
• patients keep a record of the events in their life
  = could be used to help challenge their negative thinking
• reinforcement of positive thoughts is encouraged

Question 3

ads of CBT

Answer 3

• mild
• respected
• root cause
• long term

Question 4

disad of CBT

Answer 4

• most popular treatment for depression is anti-depressant drugs
• they require much less effort than CBT
• psych found that CBT can be very effective if it is combined with drug therapy
• maybe CBT used on its own to treat is not effective

Question 5

mild - ads of CBT

Answer 5

• very effective when CBT is used to treat mild depression
• stop the mild depression from getting much worse
• therefore CBT is more applicable to clients who had mild depressive symptoms rather than severe symptoms
• If the depression is very severe then drugs/medication might be more appropriate than CBT

Question 6

respected - ads of CBT

Answer 6

• it is widely respected and supported by vast amounts of research as a therapy for depression
• It is offered as a cost effective treatment for many disorders by the NHS in Britain, especially for depression
• The treatment is quite economical compared to other treatments such as the psychodynamic approach

Question 7

root cause - ads of CBT

Answer 7

• praised because it tends to get to the root cause of the depressive problem
• Usually CBT can uncover the real underlying issues that caused the depression in the first place such as job loss or divorce etc
• This is a very good point because other treatments for depression such as medication and drugs tend not to get to the root cause of the problem of depression
  = but merely act as a, “plaster” that cover up and mask the symptoms of depression
  = therefore CBT actually works as a cure for depression

Question 8

long term - ads of CBT

Answer 8

• used as a long term cure
• Once a patient has undergone CBT
  = it has lasting positive outcomes and there is a high chance that the patient has actually been cured
  = they are less likely to suffer a relapse compared to other treatments (such as medication or placebos)
  = Therefore CBT might be cost effective for the NHS
• When a depressed patient has successfully completed CBT treatment they are very unlikely to return to hospital needing further treatment in the future (relapse rates are low)

Question 9

REBT by Ellis

Answer 9

• Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy by Ellis
• irrational thoughts also cause negative self statements
  = therapy involves think in a more rational + positive manner
• told to practice optimistic + positive thinking
• REBT involves reinterpret the ABC model in a more positive +
• clients given homework = between therapy sessions, assignments vital fro testing irrational beliefs
• behavioural activation = encourages patient to become more active = engage in pleasurable activities

Question 10

ads of REBT

Answer 10

• depressive stroke
• research

Question 11

disads of REBT

Answer 11

• cause + effect
• coherent communication
• level of expertise

Question 12

depressive stroke - ads of REBT

Answer 12

• supports the use of REBT an effective way to treat depressive stroke victims
• therefore suggests that REBT is a suitable treatment for specific groups of people w/ depression
  = help them become more positive over time in terms of their thoughts and behaviour

Question 13

research - ads of REBT

Answer 13

• There is research evidence to support the use of CBT as a therapy for depression
• David (2008) compared 170 depressive patients who had 14 weeks of REBT
• compared them to depressive patients who were treated with the drug fluoxetine
• The outcomes were compared 6 months after the treatment ended, and it was found that REBT was a better long term treatment for depression compared to the drug therapy

Question 14

cause + effect - disads of REBT

Answer 14

• it is unclear if the distorted negative thinking is the cause of depression or merely a symptom;
• if it is only a symptom of depression then REBT is not tackling the root cause of the depression,
• and the depression might return in the future
  = This means that the depression has not been cured properly

Question 15

coherent communication - disads of REBT

Answer 15

• problem with REBT is that it is dependent on the depressed clients being articulate + being able to talk about their thought processes coherently
  = Therefore REBT would not work for people with severe depression if they were unable to talk or communicate properly,
• or those who feel uncomfortable talking about their feelings with a psychologist
• In this case other treatments would have to be considered such as drug therapy

Question 16

level of expertise - disads of REBT

Answer 16

• the success of the treatment depends upon the skill and expertise of the therapist
• The more skilled the therapist, the better the therapeutic outcomes will be for the depressed client,
• this is essential for the treatments effectiveness
• Therefore psychologists need to be highly skilled + develop a good rapport with their client in order for REBT to be successful