Depression Flashcards
What are emotional characteristics of depression?
-Sadness
-Anger
-Loss in pleasure of usual hobbies or activities.
What are behavioural characteristics of depression?
-Shift in activity level
-Shift in sleep
-Shift in appetite
What are cognitive characteristics of depression?
Negative and irrational thoughts
What are the two cognitive approaches to explaining depression?
- Beck’s Negative Triad
- Ellis’ ABC Model
What does Beck’s negative triad suggest?
Suggests that depression is the result of holding negative schemata about:
1. The Self
2. The World
3. The Future
Explain what Beck means by a ‘self fulfilling prophecy’
The pessimistic view becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and then leads to cognitive bias.
What does Ellis’ ABC model suggest?
It is not what happens to the person, it is how they perceive and respond to it that causes depression.
Define the ABC model.
A= Activating event (trigger)
B= Belief (irrational or irrational)
C= Consequence (healthy or unhealthy emotional responses)
What is ‘Musturbatory Thinking’?
All or nothing thinking.
It is a source of irrational belief.
What traits are linked to depression?
Catastrophizing and perfectionism.
Evaluate the cognitive approach to explaining depression?
+Has practical applications.
Treatment can be thinking more positively-get rid of irrational thinking.
-Can be seen to blame the patient for their condition.
It doesn’t take into consideration other factors such as biology/genetics that could have been inherited.
-Difficulty establishing cause and effect.
There is a correlation but it does not imply causation.
What are the 2 cognitive approaches to treating depression?
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy (REBT)
What is the aim of CBT?
Aims to change the way a client thinks.
Explain the steps of CBT.
Step 1- Identify the irrational thoughts.
Step 2- These thoughts are then challenged.
Step 3- The therapist will set tasks for the client to test the reality of the thoughts themselves e.g. keeping a diary.
What is REBT based on?
Ellis’ ABC model?
What do the D and E stand for?
D= Disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs
E= Effects of the new beliefs and attitudes that emerge.
Define ‘behavioural activation’.
Where the client is encouraged to become more active and take part in pleasurable activities.
What did Ellis strongly believe in?
Unconditional positive regard, this involved convincing the client of their own self worth.
Evaluate cognitive treatments for depression.
+Effective for a variety of mental disorders.
CBT actually works so it has practical applications. CBT is more effective than drug therapy for preventing future episodes of depression.
-CBT fails to acknowledge that some mental disorders may be due to biological factors.
the best outcome may be achieved by combining CBT and drug therapy.
-CBT has high relapse rates, it is not effective long term.
It is also extremely time consuming and expensive, it has implications for the economy.
