depression - explanation & treatment✅

Question 1

what are the behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 1

• activity levels = lack of energy and lathergic , lack of motivation
• disruption to sleep ad eating behaviour = reduce sleep (insomnia) or increased sleep (hypersomnia)
  appetite may increase or decrease

Question 2

what are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 2

• poor concentration = simple tasks may be difficult to stick at
• absolutist thinking = black and white thinking, everything exaggerated worse than it is

Question 3

what are the emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 3

• lowered mood = feeling worthless and empty, always feeling down
• anger = built up aggression can lead to self- harming

Question 4

explanation of depression- cognitive approach:

what were the 2 explanations?

Answer 4

1- becks cognitive theory

2- Ellis’ ABC model

Question 5

explanation of depression- cognitive approach:
(beck)

what was the reasoning beck said certain ppl are more prone to depression?

what do depressed ppl often think like and react in situations?

Answer 5

bc of their faulty information processing eg thinking negatively all the time

black and white thinking, often blow things out of proportion and only focus on negative aspects of a situation ignoring the positives

Question 6

explanation of depression- cognitive approach:
(beck)

what is a self- schema?

what is a negative self schema?

Answer 6

a package of info developed through experiences, we use schemas to interpret the world

they interpret all things about themselves in a negative way

Question 7

explanation of depression- cognitive approach:
(beck)

what are the 3 elements of a negative triad?

Answer 7

1- negative views of the world
2- negative view of the future
3- negative news of self

Question 8

AO3 explanation- beck:

✅ 2 strengths

Answer 8

✅ good supporting evidence, grazioli and Terry assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability before and after giving birth. found women with higher cog. vulnerability were more likely to have post natal depression. beck might be right about cognitions causing depression

✅good practical application as a theory, forms the basic of CBT. competent of the negative triad can easily be identified and challenged by CBT - successful therapy.

Question 9

AO3 explanation- beck:

❌ weakness

Answer 9

❌ doesn’t explain all aspects of depression. some depressed patents are extremely angry and becks theory cant explains this. also some depressed patients have hallucinations and beck cant explain this

Question 10

explanation of depression- cognitive approach:
(ellis)

what does ABC stand for?

Answer 10

A- activating event = ells says depression occurs when we experience a negative event

B- beliefs = belief we must always succeed (musterbation)

C- consequences = when an activating event triggers irrational beliefs is has emotional and behavioural consequences

Question 11

AO3 explantion- ellis:

✅ strength

Answer 11

✅good application to therapy. The cognitive ideas have been used to develop effective treatments for depression, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), which was developed from Ellis’s ABC model

Question 12

AO3 explanation - ellis:

❌ 2 weaknesses

Answer 12

❌ its only a partial explanation for depression, some cases of depression follow activating events but psychologists say reactive depression arises without an obvious cause. meaning ellis’ explanation only applies to some types of depression

❌ doesn’t explain the origins of irrational thoughts so were unable to determine if negative, irrational thoughts cause depression, or whether a person’s depression leads to a negative mindset. Therefore, it is possible that other factors, for example genes and neurotransmitters, are the cause of depression

Question 13

cognitive treatment for depression:

what treatment did beck come up with?

what does this involve?

what is the aim with the negative thoughts?

Answer 13

cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

the patient and therapist work together typo clarify the patients problems and identifies where there might be negative thoughts that will benefit from challenge

to identify the neg. thoughts about themselves, the world and the future (NT) and challenge them by the patient taking an active role in their treatment

Question 14

cognitive treatment for depression:
(CBT)

what do patients often have to do to test the reality of this irrational beliefs?

what is this referred to as?

why is this useful for future sessions?

Answer 14

might be set homework eg record when someone was nice to them or when they liked something about themselves

‘the patient as the scientist’

if the patent is negative and says no one is nice to them or they always feel ugly then the therapist can pull this diary up as evidence to disprove their irrational beliefs

Question 15

AO3 treatment - CBT:

✅ 2 strengths

Answer 15

✅ CBT has been proven to be effective for treating depression and anxiety disorders across many ppl. good communication and solid relationship between the therapist and patient

✅ Model has great appeal because it focuses on human thought and cognitive abilities, have been responsible for our many accomplishments so may also be responsible for our problems.

Question 16

AO3 treatment - CBT:

❌ 2 weaknesses

Answer 16

❌ may not work fro the most severe cases of depression. some patients cant motivate themselves to take on the hard cognitive work required for CBT t successfully work

❌ The precise role of cognitive processes is yet to be determined. It is not clear whether faulty cognitions are a cause of the psychopathology or a consequence of it.

Question 17

cognitive treatment for depression:
(REBT)

who came up with this and what does it stand for?

REBT extends the ABC model to ABCDE, what does this stand for?

Answer 17

rational emotive behaviour therapy introduced by ellis

D (dispute, challenge iraational belifes)

E (effect)

Question 18

cognitive treatment for depression:
(REBT)

what are 2 ways a REBT therapist would challenge irrational beliefs?

what is behavioural activation?

Answer 18

1- empirical argument = disputing whether their is evidence to support these irrational beliefs

2- logical argument = disputing whether there negative thoughts are based off facts or fiction

gradually decrease avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities which has been shown to improve their mood eg exercise

Question 19

AO3 treatment - REBT:

✅ 2 strengths

Answer 19

✅ quick and efficient process; good relationship built between the therapist and the patient. allows the patient fully open up and challenge there negative views.

✅ good practical application, helped many people day to day dealing wit depression

Question 20

AO3 treatment - REBT:

❌ 2 weaknesses

Answer 20

❌ some patients rly want to focus on their past bc this could be the route cause of their issues but such therapy focuses on the patients present and future.

❌ fails to acknowledge that some mental disorders may be due to biological factors. eg, according to the Biological approach, OCD may be linked to low levels of serotonin in the brain suggesting that the cognitive therapies ignore the role that biology can play in a mental disorder. This is problematic because it means that CBT will not work for some clients as the role of biology in mental disorders is not being considered.