Depression Explanation - Cognitive

Question 1

Behavioural

Answer 1

• aggression/self-harm
• activity levels
• sleep (increase or decrease)

Question 2

Emotional

Answer 2

• anger
• lowered mood
• lowered self-esteem

Question 3

Cognitive

Answer 3

• poor concentration
• attention to the negative
• absolutist thinking

Question 4

Ellis’ ABC model

Answer 4

A: activation (e.g fired from work)
B: belief (rational or irrational)
C: consequence (irrational beliefs lead to unhealthy emotions)

Question 5

Irrational beliefs

Answer 5

• must be approved, must do well, must have happiness or will die.
• I must be loved by every significant other.
• I must be competent, adequate and achieving to be considered worthwhile.
• It is awful and catastrophic when things are not the way I’d like them to be.

Question 6

Beck’s cognitive theory of depression

Answer 6

Beck suggested that some people are cognitively more vulnerable to developing depression.

Negative self schemas.
Faulty information processing.
The negative triad.

Question 7

Negative self schemas

Answer 7

A schema is a mental framework of ideas and information developed through past experience. Acquired through abuse, loss of parent, rejection by peers, harsh criticism teachers/parents.

Question 8

Faulty information processing

Answer 8

Information processing of depressed individuals is cognitively biassed (automatically negative and irrational which makes them more prone to depression and once depressed , it is more difficult to get rid of these thoughts.

Question 9

Negative triad

Answer 9

• negative views about world, self and future

Question 10

AO3 - strengths

Answer 10

+ Bates (1999) found that when depressed participants who were given negative automatic-thought statements became more and more depressed, supporting the view that negative thinking leads to depression. HOWEVER, this just proves a link not a cause and effect. Therefore people with a possible genetic predisposition. The cognitive model is not a particularly good explanation for all depressive phenomena.
+ Treatment: CBT changing irrational thought process into rational ones. (Best for depression treatments over meds). Treat cause not just symptoms.

Question 11

AO3: weaknesses

Answer 11

• Blames the patient rather than the situation: responsibility for depression and recovery rests with the individual which may lead to overlooking situational factors e.g impact of life events. Therefore, this approach only focuses on the cognitive factors and not dealing with the root cause which comes from situational factors.
• The biological approach suggests that genes and neurotransmitters may cause depression. Zhang (2005) found lower levels of serotonin in depressed people and a gene has been found that has caused depression to be 10x more likely to have depression. Also, the success of drug treatments does suggest that a neurotransmitter is present. The distressing stress model suggests a genetic vulnerability to depression.