Depression

Question 1

What is the definition of depression

Answer 1

a mental disorder that is characterised by a change in mood (typically low)

Question 2

what is the depression DSM-5 diagnostic criteria manual

Answer 2

a manual that clinicians use to diagnose patients

Question 3

what is the criteria for being diagnosed with depression from the DSM-5 manual

Answer 3

a patient has to experience 5 or more symptoms during a 2 week period, and 1 of these should either be a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure

Question 4

what are the 8 DSM-5 criteria

Answer 4

1. depressed mood most of the day
2. diminished interest or pleasure in activities
3. significant weight loss or gain/decrease/increase in appetite
4. reduced physical movement and slower thoughts
5. fatigue or loss of energy
6. feelings of worthlessness
7. diminished concentration
8. recurrent thoughts of death/suicide

Question 5

what are the three behavioural characteristics of depression

Answer 5

1. activity levels are reduced
2. disruption to sleep and eating
3. aggression and self-harm

Question 6

what are the three emotional characteristics of depression

Answer 6

1. anger
2. low mood and feelings of worthlessness
3. low self-esteem

Question 7

what are the three cognitive characteristics of depression

Answer 7

1. always thinking negatively
2. poor concentration
3. absolutist thinking

Question 8

how to remember the BEC characteristics of depression

Answer 8

ADA ALL APA

Question 9

what did Albert Ellis believe about the explanation of depression

Answer 9

the emotions and behaviour experienced by someone with depression are due to their faulty cognition and irrational thinking, not external events they have experienced

Question 10

what is the ABC model

Answer 10

a model created by Ellis to explain how irrational thinking can have a negative impact on our emotions and behaviour

Question 11

explain the ABC model

Answer 11

Activating event (when something happens in the environment/externally)
Beliefs (the event triggers irrational beliefs)
Consequences (the patient faces emotional or behavioural depressive characteristics)

Question 12

strengths of the ABC model

Answer 12

• it has real-world applications because its underlying concepts have enabled treatments for depression. this increases its validity and usefulness
• there is supporting evidence because Hammen+Krantz found that depressed patients made more irrational errors when interpreting written material. this shows that the ‘activating event’ (written material) triggered irrational ‘beliefs’ in depressed patients and ‘consequently’ led to errors

Question 13

weaknesses of the ABC model

Answer 13

• does not apply to all cases of depression because not all cases can be traced back to the environment or external events. this, therefore, reduces its validity
• it discounts neurotransmitters and the biological approach, making it reductionist and too simplistic

Question 14

how does Beck believe depression is caused

Answer 14

early schemas which are built up from early experiences and interactions

Question 15

what are the 3 main aspects of Beck’s cognitive model of depression

Answer 15

1. schemas (forming a pattern of negative thoughts and belief)
2. the cognitive triad (a negative view yourself, the world, and the future)
3. cognitive distortions/biases

Question 16

give an example of the negative cognitive triad

Answer 16

• negative thoughts about themselves (feeling unworthy due to childhood abuse)
• negative thoughts about the world (feeling deprived of love altogether)
• negative thoughts about the future (they will never achieve a healthy relationship)

Question 17

4 examples of cognitive biases/distortions

Answer 17

selective perception (details taken out of context)

overgeneralisation (negative conclusions about all situations because of 1)

magnification and minimisation (magnifying bad events and minimising good events)

absolutist thinking (unless it is perfect, it’s a fail)

Question 18

strengths of beck’s negative triad

Answer 18

• supporting evidence (D’Alessandro discovered that students who didn’t get into their first choice uni also doubted their future - like the cognitive triad)
• good applicability (lead to effective therapy for patients)

Question 19

weaknesses of beck’s negative triad

Answer 19

• lacks internal validity (can’t tell the cause and effect)
• negative thinking causing depression may not be valid because they could be seen as useful in the real world, so shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing

Question 20

what is cognitive behavioural therapy

Answer 20

an umbrella term for several different depression therapies, the 2 being best known as REBT and TNAT

Question 21

what is the general idea of CBT

Answer 21

to turn irrational thoughts into more rational ones

Question 22

what does a patient going through CBT therapy do

Answer 22

• identify negative/irrational thoughts through thought-catching
• challenge this thought by providing evidence to back it up and increase its validity
• change the thought to a rational one

Question 23

what are the 2 disputes that a therapist uses to challenge irrational behaviours

Answer 23

1. logical dispute (does that make sense?)
2. empirical dispute (can I see evidence?)

Question 24

a positive of CBT therapy for treating depression

Answer 24

• supporting evidence (Hollon et al. found that only 40% of depressed patients who were treated with CBT relapsed the next year, compared to 80% who had a placebo). This means that there is a clear cause and effect of depression (cognition), making the explanation more valid

Question 25

a negative of CBT therapy for treating depression

Answer 25

CBT is only effective if patients complete their homework, but people with depression have low mood and activity levels, so it is unrealistic that they will attend regular sessions and do the homework, leading us to question its usefulness