Depression Flashcards
4 Behavioural Characteristics of Depression
- Activity - lethargy, neglect hygiene, anhedonia (not enjoy things anymore)
- Sleep - insomnia or hypersomnia
- Eating - significant increase or decrease
- Aggression - irritable verbally or physically, self harm
3 Emotional Characteristics of Depression
- Low Mood - overwhelming sadness, emptiness
- Worthlessness - low self esteem, inappropriate guilt
- Anger - at others or at self. Retaliating to feeling hurt
2 Cognitive Characteristics of Depression
- Negative Schema - negative world view
- Poor Concentration - poor memory, slower thought processes, difficulty making decisions
What are the underlying assumptions of the cognitive explanations for depression
Depression is caused by (irrational) negative thinking
- Depressed people have negative schema
Negative schema leads to cognitive biases
- Cognitive biases lead to overgeneralisations
What is the negative triad
Beck(1967)
Negative triad:
* The Self - hate self
* The World - hate world
* The Future - hate future
What is the ABC model
- A - Activating event - incident occurs
- B - Beliefs - either rational or irrational
- C - Consequences - result of B (unhealthy emotions stems from irrational beliefs, depression)
(+) Research Support for Cognitive explanation for depression
Terry(2000)
- Terry(2000) tested 65 pregnant women
- Those with high cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer with post-natal depression
Supports cognitive approach (negative thinking can cause depression)
(-) Validity of cognitive explanation for depression
- Cause and effect isn’t clear
- Ignores idea that other factors may be at play (genetics)
(-) Negative triad Doesn’t explain certain characteristics
- Doesn’t explain how some symptoms develop
- Anger, manic periods in BPD
(+) Research support for ABC model
Bates(1999)
- Bates(1999) found giving depressed patients negative thoughts made them more depressed
supporting the view that negative thinking helps to cause depression.
(-) Weakness of ABC model
- Still blames the patient for depression
Puts the responsibility on them to change the situation and improve their symptoms
What is the aim of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive treatment of depression
change irrational thoughts and so alleviate the depression
What is Bate’s Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Identify irrational belief (thought-catching)
Test hypothesis based on irrational belief
- Keeping a diary to record real world events. Homework assignments to identify truths.
- Patients report positive thoughts, therapist praises them (positive reinforcement)
- Cognitive restructuring - learning to identify, dispute, therefore change irrational thoughts
What’s Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy
Ellis(1994)
- Challenge automatic negative thoughts to replace with rational beliefs
Therapist uses logical arguments to dispute patient
Therapist uses empirical arguments to defeat beliefs inconsistent with reality
- Patients engage in behavioural activation (being active and doing things they enjoy more)
Research Support
(+) CBT as effective as antidepressants
March et al(2007)
- 327 adolescents
- in 36 weeks
- 81% antidepressants
- 81% CBT group improved
- 86% BOTH improved
found CBT was as effective as antidepressants
