Explanations for Depression

Question 1

What is Ellis’s ABC model?

Answer 1

• Ellis suggested that all mental disorders are caused by irrational beliefs.
• It is not the events that happen to a person that cause mental illness, it is the way in which they are interpreted.
  -In the case of depression, the irrational beliefs concern assumptions that are required in order for a person to be happy.
• If these assumptions are not met the person becomes unhappy or even depressed.

Ellis suggested that people think in the following way:

A - An Activating event, an event that happens in your life. These events happen to many people and can be healthily dealt with or unhealthily dealt with.

B - A Belief about what is to be expected in life.
Rational beliefs lead to the event being interpreted in a realistic and healthy way, irrational beliefs lead to the event being interpreted in an unrealistic and unhealthy way.
Rational beliefs lead to good mental health, irrational beliefs can lead to poor mental health.

C - The consequences of beliefs

Question 2

A03 - ABC Model- Free Will

Answer 2

• Whilst the cognitive explanation gives empowerment to the individual to take charge of their life through free will, a singular focus on a client’s thinking style ignores other possible influencing factors.
• For instance, robust research exists to suggest there is a genetic vulnerability for depression:
• McGuffin et al (1996) found concordance rates of 46% for identical twins and 20% for non-identical twins.
• This might be explained by the diathesis-stress model which suggests that a person who develops depression is born with a genetic predisposition towards developing depression.
• It just requires an incident
  to trigger the depression.
  -Hence, these cognitive explanations do not provide a comprehensive explanation of the cause of depression for all individuals.

Question 3

A03 - ABC Model - Successful Therapies

Answer 3

• Cognitive explanations have inspired successful therapies for depression, such as CBT and REBT.
• Butler and Beck (2000) reviewed 14 meta-analyses investigating the effectiveness of Beck’s cognitive therapy and concluded that about 80% of adults benefited from the therapy.
• If therapy based on correcting irrational thought processing reduces depression, this suggests that thought processes might be associated with depression, supporting the notions of the cognitive approach.