Depression

Question 1

What are emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 1

-Sadness
-Anger
-Loss in pleasure of usual hobbies or activities.

Question 2

What are behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 2

-Shift in activity level
-Shift in sleep
-Shift in appetite

Question 3

What are cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 3

Negative and irrational thoughts

Question 4

What are the two cognitive approaches to explaining depression?

Answer 4

1. Beck’s Negative Triad
2. Ellis’ ABC Model

Question 5

What does Beck’s negative triad suggest?

Answer 5

Suggests that depression is the result of holding negative schemata about:
1. The Self
2. The World
3. The Future

Question 6

Explain what Beck means by a ‘self fulfilling prophecy’

Answer 6

The pessimistic view becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and then leads to cognitive bias.

Question 7

What does Ellis’ ABC model suggest?

Answer 7

It is not what happens to the person, it is how they perceive and respond to it that causes depression.

Question 8

Define the ABC model.

Answer 8

A= Activating event (trigger)
B= Belief (irrational or irrational)
C= Consequence (healthy or unhealthy emotional responses)

Question 9

What is ‘Musturbatory Thinking’?

Answer 9

All or nothing thinking.
It is a source of irrational belief.

Question 10

What traits are linked to depression?

Answer 10

Catastrophizing and perfectionism.

Question 11

Evaluate the cognitive approach to explaining depression?

Answer 11

+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.

Question 12

What are the 2 cognitive approaches to treating depression?

Answer 12

1. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
2. Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy (REBT)

Question 13

What is the aim of CBT?

Answer 13

Aims to change the way a client thinks.

Question 14

Explain the steps of CBT.

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

What is REBT based on?

Answer 15

Ellis’ ABC model?

Question 16

What do the D and E stand for?

Answer 16

D= Disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs

E= Effects of the new beliefs and attitudes that emerge.

Question 17

Define ‘behavioural activation’.

Answer 17

Where the client is encouraged to become more active and take part in pleasurable activities.

Question 18

What did Ellis strongly believe in?

Answer 18

Unconditional positive regard, this involved convincing the client of their own self worth.

Question 19

Evaluate cognitive treatments for depression.

Answer 19

+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.