Depression/cog approach Flashcards
Explain Ellis’ cognitive explanation of depression
*Ellis suggests that depression is caused by irrational thoughts that interfere with being happy.
*Activating event- external event that triggers a range of irrational beliefs, which he classifies as musterbation ( belief that we must always acheive perfection) and utopianism (life should be fair) this then leads to the consequence of depression.
Explain Beck’s negative triad
Beck suggests that CONSISTENT negative thinking can lead to vulnerbilty to depression,
*because of faulty information processing- ppl ignore positives and focus on negative- black and white thinking.
He proposed a negative triad and 3 types of negative thinking thta can make some vulnerable to depression.
*Negative thoughts on self- Im worthless
*Negative thoughts on future-
*Negative thoughts on world- the world is doomed
Research to support Beck’s negative triad
P- RS to support was conduvted by Cohen at al
E- He measured the cognitive vulnerabilty by of 473 adolescents by examining how often they experienced negative thoughts. Found that those w more frequently neg thinking were most likely to develop depression in later life
E- Supports Beck theory as findings suggest that ppl w a tendency of negative interpretation of experiences are more susceptible to depression.
L- Therefore supporting that theres a strong correlation between neg cog patterns (cog vul) and development of depression, reinforcing idea that faulty thinking plays a key role = making it an appropiate explanation for depression
Research to support and limitations of Beck and Ellis
P- One strength is that reasrch into the cognitive approach of dep has lead to pratical app
E- The principle of the theory that depression is caused by irrational beliefs,m allows patients to identify, challenge and change their thoughts into rational/positive ones by DISPUTING
L- Therefore the cog approch for dep is an important part for applied psych.
Limitations:
P- a weakness of the cog approach of dep is that it struggles to establish cause and effect.
E- Just because negatvive thoughts are linked to dep doesnt nec mean that negative thoughts are the cause of depression. Possible that depression could lead to neg diagnosis.
L- Lack of clarity, decreases validity as if neg thoughts are consequences then targeting thoughts CBT not fully effective to treat root.Therefore cog approach could be seen as an incomplete approach
*One limitaion is that there are other factors in the brain that could influence depression, an alternative ex is the biological approach. This approach focuses on the fact that a low level of serotonin could be causing low mood which could then cause depression rather that faulty thought processing is the cause. L- Therefore cog approach shpuld not be only one to be considered
Characteristics of Depression
Behavioural-
*change in energy levels, decrease (anhedonia) or increase.
*change in sleep habits- insomnia or hypersomnia
*change in eating habits
Emotional;
*anger
*low mood and low self esteem
Cognitive;
*negative schema- seeing negattive in all info, neglacting positive
*black and white thinking- viewing everything as absolute disaster
*poor conc levels
Outline the cognitive approach to explaining psychopathology
*cognitive approach believes that abnormality stems from faulty cognitions about others, world and us.
*faulty thinking may be through cognitive deficiencies (lack of planning) or cognitive distortions (faulty info processing).
- cognitions cause distortions in the way we see things
- Ellis suggested it is through irrational thinking, while Beck proposed the cognitive triad.
*An outline of the ABC model would be one way to outline the cognitive approach.
- Ellis suggested it is through irrational thinking, while Beck proposed the cognitive triad.
Evaluate cognitive approach to explaining psychopathology
There are research studies to support this approach, e.g. Rachman. It has
provided some convincing explanations for disorders such as depression and also some effective therapies such as CBT. However, it is not clear whether faulty cognitions are a cause of the psychopathology or a consequence of it.
What are the 2 types of CBT
*REBT- Rational Emotive Behavioural therapy by Beck
*ABCDE- By Ellis
Explain REBT
*patient identfies negative thoughts
*therapist cahlleges thoughts,( empirical disputing) gives patient hw to record when ppl are nice- test reality of neg beliefs
*when negative thoughts brought up again- therapist uses their findings to prove negative thoughts wrong
Explain ABCDE
*D-patient identify thoughts and dispute thru vigorous arguments, change their belief and breaks the link of event and depression
*E- effect- emperical- is there ev for belief?
*logical- does thought follow a fact
*pragmatic- is thought helpful to solve problem?
*leads to replacing thoughts w more rational beliefs -leads 2 healthier emotional responses and behaviors.
*effect is a reduction in negative emotions and an increase in constructive behaviors
Research to support Becks cog approach to explaining depression
P-Research to support- Cohen et AL- 473 adolscents. E- He measured cog vulnerability of adolescents. Found that showing cog vulnerability lead to depression in later life. L- this supports that theres an association between cog vul and depression, therefore making becks neg triad as an appropiate explanation.
Research to support and contradict CBT as a TREATMENT for depression
Support:
P- conducted by March, studied adolescents
E- So,me were given CBT, anti dep and a combo for treatment of dep, found that 81% of symptoms improved whne using CBT/anti and when using a combo of both 86% improved. L- Shows that challenging neg thoughts can reduce depressive symptoms and a mix coud improve effectiveness.
Limitations:
P-*Despite being effective treatment it requires a lot of motivation and commitment from patients.E- patients have to attend sessin regularly, and do hw of engaging in activities once enjoyed and keep diary to record when ppl r kind. E- ppl w depression often lack motivation as they have low energy levels, casuing to stop attedning, increasing drop out rate. Therfore making CBT not appropaite treatment for all.
P- limation high relapse rates
E- Ali examined dep in 439 patients every months for 12 months, found that 42%n relapsed after 6 months and 58% after a year. E- shows that its effective at targetting dep at short term, but for long term effect they have to engage in treatment more regularly, L- therefore reducing effectiveness for CBT for long term treat for dep.
P- limation- alternative treatmemt- antidep
E- Instead of CBT, antidep could be used. Antidep target neurotrasmitters w low serotonin levels that cause low mood. Antidep more effective as it requires no motivation from patients, just taking a pill each day. Therefore limiting CBT effectivness as their are better effective treatments more appropiate for depressed ppl.
P- Stanley et Al- suggests that CBT may not be appropiate for those w learn diffivulties
E- found that individuals with learn diff often struggle to engage with the cognitive aspects of CBT E- cause CBT requires patients to actively CHALLENGE and reframe negative thoughts, a process that can be cognitively demanding. Study found that these individu often find it diff to understan and apply the cognitive restructuring techniques that are central to CBT, leading to less effective treatment outcomes. L- thefore liimiting the appropiatness of CBT for wide range of ppl.
However, recent research by Taylor challenges that CBT is unsuitable 4 learning diff. E- , CBT can be effectively adapted for individuals with learning difficulties. Study demonstrated that when CBT is modified for their cognitive needs —such as simplifying language, using more visual aids, and providing additional support—patients with learning difficulties can engage with the therapy and have significant improvements in managing their depression. E- suggests that the perceived inappropriateness of CBT for people w learn diff as argued by Stanley et al., may not be due to the therapy itself but rather how it is delivered. L- therfeore CBT is actually suitable for all patients when adapted to their needs
