Depression - Psychopathology Flashcards
What is depression?
A mood disorder characterised by feelings of despondency and hopelessness.
What are the two types of depression?
Unipolar and bipolar.
What needs to be present for depression to be diagnosed?
- At least 5 symptoms every day for two weeks
- Person will show impairment in general functioning that has not been caused by other events.
What type of symptoms must be present for bipolar to be diagnosed?
Sadness or loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities. Impairment in functioning must be present.
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
- Shift in energy levels
- Social impairment
- Weight changes
- Poor personal hygiene
- Sleep pattern disturbances
- Aggression and self harm.
What are the emotional characteristics of depression?
- Loss of enthusiasm
- Constant depressed mood
- Worthlessness
- Anger.
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
- Delusions
- Reduced concentration
- Poor memory
- Absolutist thinking
- Negative thinking
- Thoughts of death
What are the general causes for depression?
Biological/Environmental causes.
What is an example of biological causes of depression?
Chemical or hormonal imbalances.
What are examples of environmental causes of depression?
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Sudden, upsetting life changes (losing a job or the death of a relative).
What are general treatments for depression?
- Improving lifestyle
- Medication
- Therapy/counselling.
What are the cognitive approaches to explaining depression?
- Beck’s cognitive triad
- Ellis’s ABC Model.
What does the Cognitive Model suggest?
Individuals suffering from depression have negative or distorted thinking.
What does negative or irrational thinking lead to?
Depression.
What does the Cognitive Triad by Beck suggest?
People become depressed because they have a negative outlook.
How do negative schemas develop?
They develop negative schemas in childhood where adults have been overly critical of them. This continues into adulthood.
What are examples of negative schemas?
Self blame, Ineptness.
What is the first stage of the Cognitive Triad?
Negative thoughts about self.
What is the second stage of the cognitive triad?
Negative thoughts about the world.
What is the third stage of the cognitive triad?
Negative thoughts about the future.
What are the strengths of the cognitive approach by Beck?
- Very influential
- Supporting evidence from Terry (2000)
- Combining to make CB approach.
How is the Cognitive approach by Beck influential?
It is based on sound experimental research and has been seen in depressed patients. It is objective and permits testing.
What did Terry (2000) find?
Assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth. Women who had a high cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post natal depression.
What is CB approach?
Cognitive Behavioural approach aims to look at irrational thinking and conditioning.
What are the weaknesses of the cognitive approach?
- Cause and effect issues
- Criticises the behavioural approach
- Does not explain how some symptoms of depression develop.
What are the cause and effect issues of the cognitive approaches by Beck?
Are not clear as negative thinking can be an effect of depression instead of negative thinking causing depression.
How does the cognitive approach criticise the behavioural approach?
Behavioural approach states depression is caused by learning and the environment, whereas the cognitive approach would disagree and state that negative thinking causes depression to occur.
What does Ellis’s ABC Model include?
Activating event, Beliefs and Consequences.
What are activating events as part of the ABC model?
Patients record events leading to negative thinking and this is triggered by an event in the environment around them negatively impacting their mood and outlook.
What are beliefs as part of the ABC model?
Patients record their thoughts associated with the event. These might be recording thoughts in a diary or journal so they can keep track of their thinking.
What are consequences as part of the ABC model?
Patients record the emotional response to their beliefs. Irrational beliefs can lead to negative emotions such as feeling upset. The consequences could be debated with many different options.
What is mustabatory thinking?
Thinking that certain ideas or assumptions must be true in order for an individual to be happy.
What are the strengths of Ellis’ ABC model?
- Research support, Bates (1999)
- Based on scientific evidence
- Supporting evidence for people who had insecure attachments as a child.
What did Bates (1999) find to support the ABC model?
Found depressed patients who were given negative thought statements became more depressed.
What are the weaknesses of Ellis’ ABC model?
- Cause and effect issues
- Blames client and means situational factors are overlooked
- Criticised by biological approach, Zhang (2005).
What did Zhang (2005) find?
Found that there is a gene related to depression that makes it ten times more likely for someone to develop the illness.
What is the rationale of CBT?
To modify negative ways of thinking so that they become more positive and rational and alleviate the depression.
What does CBT do overall for depression?
Allows the patient to have control over their thinking and it focuses on present experiences.
Why is it important for the therapist of CBT to be highly trained?
This can help the depressed patient to think in a more positive way, which can positively influence their behaviour.
What would Beck use as the basis for his CBT?
The cognitive triad and are encouraged to use thought catching diaries.
How do patients test their negative thinking?
Challenge their negative thoughts and test them out, they act as a scientist to generate hypotheses to test validity of irrational thoughts.
What are the advantages of CBT by Beck?
- Effective with mild depression
- Respected
- Addresses root of problem
- Long term cure.
What are the disadvantages of CBT by Beck?
- Cujipers (2013) on drug therapy
- More effective with mild symptoms.
What did Cujipers (2013) find?
Drugs require less effort than CBT. And CBT can be very effective if is combined with drug therapy.
Who developed REBT?
Ellis (1975).
What is REBT?
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy.
How does REBT address negative self statements?
It involves clients to think in a more rational and positive manner.
What does REBT involve?
Challenging negative thoughts by reinterpreting the ABC model in a more positive and logical way.
What is the homework in REBT used for?
Vital for testing irrational beliefs out in the real world, and replacing them with more rational and positive beliefs.
What is Behavioural Activation?
Many depressed clients often do not engage in activities that they used to enjoy, so the therapist would encourage active participation.
What are three aspects of REBT?
Disputing irrational thoughts, effects of distributing and feeling.
What are the two aspects of Disputing irrational thoughts and behaviour?
Local and Empirical disputing.
What is local disputing?
Occurs when self defeating beliefs do not follow logically from the information available.
What is empirical disputing?
Self defeating beliefs may not be consistent with reality and there is a lack of evidence.
What can effective disputing lead to?
Change self defeating beliefs into more rational beliefs. The depressed client can move away from negative and irrational thinking.
What are the advantages of REBT to treat depression by Ellis?
- Flannaghan (1997) supports
- David (2008).
What did Flannaghan (1997) find?
Supports the use of REBT to treat depressive stroke symptoms.
What did David (2008) find?
Compared 170 patients who had 14 weeks of REBT and compared them to those treated with the drug fluoxetine. 6 months after the treatment ended, and it was found that REBT was a better long term treatment.
What are the disadvantages of REBT?
- Cause and effect
- Dependent on articulate ability
- Depends on therapist.
What is an issue with cause and effect in REBT?
Unclear if the distorted negative thinking is the cause of depression or a symptom; if it is a symptom of depression then REBT is not tackling the root cause.
