Depression past paper improvements

Question 1

Discuss one or more cognitive explanation(s) of depression (12)

Answer 1

AO1:
Beck’s theory -
Faulty information processing - Attending to the negative aspects of a situation
Negative self-schema - Negative info about ourselves is accessed whenever we encounter a self-relevant situation
Negative triad - Negative views of the world, the self and the future
Ellis’s ABC model -
A Activating event - A negative life event that triggers an irrational response e.g. failing a test
B Beliefs - Beliefs that lead us to overreact to the activating event e.g. that life must always be fair (“utopianism”), we must suceed (“musturbation”)
C Consequences - Depression results when we overreact to negative life events

AO3:
Beck’s theory
Research support
Shows cognitive vulnerability precedes depression (Clark and Beck, Cohen et al. prospective study of adolescents)
Real-world application
Identify cognitive vulnerability to screen those at risk of depression, then target vulnerabilities in CBT (Beck’s) and irrational thoughts can be identified and challenged by a therapist (Ellis)
Partial explanation
Explains patterns of cognition, but can’t easily explain extremes of anger or hallucinations and delusions (Beck’s) and Ellis only explains reactive depression, not cases that don’t follow an activating event (endogenous depression)

Question 2

Discuss the cognitive approach to treating depression. (16)

Answer 2

AO1:
Beck’s cognitive therapy - Aims to identify negative thoughts (negative triad) and challenge them (client as scientist)
Ellis’s REBT - ABC + D (dispute) and E (effect). Aims to identify and challenge irrational beliefs e.g. empirical argument
Behavioural activation - Encouraging the depressed person to engage in enjoyable activities
AO3
Evidence for effectiveness - CBT is as effective as anti-depressants, most effective combined (81% v 86%, March et al.)
Suitability for diverse clients - May not be suitable for severe cases of depression or for people with learning disabilities (e.g. Sturmey) Counter - Newer evidence suggests CBT is as effective as drugs or behavioural therapies (Lewis and Lewis) and OK for learning disabilities (Taylor et al.)
Client preference - CBT effective, at least short-term, but some clients want to explore past