Explaining Depression

Question 1

What are two main types of depression?

Answer 1

Bipolar depression and unipolar depression

Question 2

What is bipolar depression also known as?

Answer 2

Bipolar depression is also known as manic depression

Question 3

What is unipolar depression?

Answer 3

When a person experiences a low mood that last for weeks/months and affects daily life.

It is an illness, occurs in cycles and has clinical symptoms

Question 4

What is unipolar depression also known as?

Answer 4

Unipolar depression is also known as major depression

Question 5

What is bipolar depression?

Answer 5

Bipolar depression is when a person swings between feeling very high + full of confidence to feeling extremely low, this lasts for several weeks

Question 6

What approach explains depression?

Answer 6

The cognitive approach explain depression

Question 7

What explanations states some people are cognitively vulnerable to depression?

Answer 7

Beck’s explanation (1967)

Question 8

What are the three ways Beck explains cognitive vulnerability?

Answer 8

People being cognitively vulnerable by faulty information processing, negative self schema and the negative triad

Question 9

What is the faulty information processing?

Answer 9

The person focuses on the negative aspects of a situation rather than the positives and makes small problems more serious than they really are

Question 10

What is the negative self schema Beck describes in her explanation for depression?

Answer 10

The negative self schema is developed when the person interprets information about themselves negatively

Question 11

What is the negative triad Beck described whilst explaining depression?

Answer 11

The negative triad is the negative view a person has of the world, the future and themselves

Question 12

What does Beck state as an explanation for depression?

Answer 12

Beck states that some people are cognitively vulnerable to depression and it shows through faulty information processing, negative self schema and the negative triad

Question 13

What explanation for depression involves the ABC model? What year was this model established?

Answer 13

Ellis’ explanation for depression in 1962

Question 14

What does Ellis’s ABC model stand for?

Answer 14

A = activating event

B = beliefs

C = consequences

Question 15

What does the A in the ABC model stand for and describe it?

Answer 15

The A in the ABC model stands for the activating event.

The model states irrational negative thoughts are triggered by an external event

Question 16

What does the B in the ABC model stand for and describe it?

Answer 16

The B in the ABC model stands for beliefs.

The model states there is a holding of irrational beliefs, the person feels down when things do not go smoothly due to their unrealistic expectations of always being successful and perfect

Question 17

What does the C in the ABC model stand for and describe it?

Answer 17

The C in the ABC model stand for consequences

The model states irrational beliefs have emotional and behavioural consequences

Question 18

What is an example of a consequence (emotional/behavioural) caused by the irrational thoughts?

Answer 18

Example 1 (BEHAVIOUR): not getting out of bed in the morning

Example 2 (EMOTIONAL): consistent feelings of sadness/unmotivated

Question 19

How many evaluations are there of the cognitive explanations of depression?

Answer 19

There are four evaluations

Question 20

What is a strength of the cognitive explanation of depression? (Cohen et al (2019))

Answer 20

There is supportive evidence that suggests cognitive vulnerability does lead to vulnerability. Cohen et al (2019) tracked the development of 473 teenagers measuring their cognitive vulnerability and found that cognitive vulnerability predicted later depression.

Question 21

What is a strength of Beck’s cognitive explanation of depression? (real world application)

Answer 21

Beck’s explanation has real world applications as by assessing cognitive vulnerability psychologists are allowed to identify those at risk of developing depression in the future and monitor them

Question 22

What is a limitation of the cognitive explanation of depression? (characteristics)

Answer 22

The cognitive explanations cannot account for all the characteristics and symptoms of depression such as anger

Question 23

What is a limitation of Ellis’s ABC model for the cognitive explanation for depression? (types of depression)

Answer 23

Ellis’s ABC model can be used to explain depression that has been triggered by a negative life event (reactive depression)

But cannot explain depression that has no links to life events, known as endogenous depression