Depression Flashcards
What is the definition of depression
a mental disorder that is characterised by a change in mood (typically low)
what is the depression DSM-5 diagnostic criteria manual
a manual that clinicians use to diagnose patients
what is the criteria for being diagnosed with depression from the DSM-5 manual
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
what are the 8 DSM-5 criteria
(don’t do weed, rum, fags.
work doesn’t stop!)
- depressed mood most of the day
- diminished interest or pleasure in activities
- significant weight loss or gain/decrease/increase in appetite
- reduced physical movement and slower thoughts
- fatigue or loss of energy
- feelings of worthlessness
- diminished concentration
- recurrent thoughts of death/suicide
what are the three behavioural characteristics of depression
- activity levels are reduced
- disruption to sleep and eating
- aggression and self-harm
what are the three emotional characteristics of depression (feeling ALL the emotions)
- anger
- low mood and feelings of worthlessness
- low self-esteem
what are the three cognitive characteristics of depression (CAN i get better?)
- always thinking negatively
- poor concentration
- absolutist thinking
how to remember the BEC characteristics of depression
ADA ALL APA
what did Albert Ellis believe about the explanation of depression
the emotions and behaviour experienced by someone with depression are due to their faulty cognition and irrational thinking, not external events they have experienced
what is the ABC model
a model created by Ellis to explain how irrational thinking can have a negative impact on our emotions and behaviour
explain the ABC model
Activating event (when something happens in the environment/externally)
Beliefs (the event triggers irrational beliefs)
Consequences (the patient faces emotional or behavioural depressive characteristics)
strengths of the ABC model
- 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
weaknesses of the ABC model
- 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
how does Beck believe depression is caused
early schemas which are built up from early experiences and interactions
what are the 3 main aspects of Beck’s cognitive model of depression
- schemas (forming a pattern of negative thoughts and belief)
- the cognitive triad (a negative view yourself, the world, and the future)
- cognitive distortions/biases
give an example of the negative cognitive triad
- 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)
4 examples of cognitive biases/distortions
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)
strengths of beck’s negative triad
- 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)
weaknesses of beck’s negative triad
- 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
what is cognitive behavioural therapy
an umbrella term for several different depression therapies, the 2 being best known as REBT and TNAT
what is the general idea of CBT
to turn irrational thoughts into more rational ones
what does a patient going through CBT therapy do
- 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
what are the 2 disputes that a therapist uses to challenge irrational behaviours
- logical dispute (does that make sense?)
- empirical dispute (can I see evidence?)
a positive of CBT therapy for treating depression
- 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
a negative of CBT therapy for treating depression
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
