Lecture 6 +7 Flashcards
Seligman’s learned helplessness theory
- Depression results from a view that they are incapable of being agents of change in own life (perceived absence of control)
- Outcomes independent of behaviour
Abramson’s hopelessness theory
Attributions of negative events are: - Stable, - Internal, - Global Helplessness was driven not by how people perceived the relationship between actions and outcome, but by how they explained the situation / incident to themselves
Attribution style
Optimistic attribution style linked with psychological well-being; when it’s negative its stable, internal, and global
example of negative attribution style:
- I got a bad grade; I can never do anything right.
Depression
The meaning or interpretation people give to their experiences influences whether or not they will become depressed
Cognitive triad
Negative view of self
Negative view of world
Negative view of others
Basic Cognitive Model (Beck)
Situation –> Automatic thoughts –> reaction
Example:
Difficult reading material for class –> I don’t understand, I’m so stupid –> Sad, turn on TV for comfort
OR
Difficult material –> awesome! deep material –> studies hard/excited
Automatic thoughts
- Specific to situations – they come from core beliefs or cognitive schemas
- stream of positive or negative thoughts; unconscious
- NOT RANDOM*
- Surface level cognitiion
Core Beliefs/Cognitive Schemas
Depressive Schema
- Organized structures of stored information that contain individuals’ perceptions of self and others, goals, expectations and memories
- Rigid, generalizable, developed during childhood, absolute truth for the person, influence information processing
Enduring, rigid, and complex negative beliefs about the self, world, and future that are resistant to change despite the presentation of disconfirming information.
Automatic thought vs. Core Beliefs
Automatic is situation specific and come from schemas
Core beliefs/schemas are rigid and generalizable, developed in childhood
Levels of Depressotypic Cognition
- Core Beliefs/Schemas (ex: “I’m a failure”) –>
- Intermediary beliefs/assumptions (rules, attitudes, assumptions) (ex:“I must do everything right, otherwise I’m a total failure”) –>
- Automatic Thoughts (e.g., I never can do anything right)–>
- Situation (e.g. receive a bad grade) –>
- Sadness
Original Model
Adverse developmental experiences –> dysfunctional attitudes (schemas); cognitive vulnerability –> activation by stressful events –> pervasive negative cognitive bias; depression
Cognitive Distortions
All-or-nothing thinking: concrete rather than on continuum
Catastrophizing: predicting the future negatively without
considering more likely outcomes
Discounting the positive
Emotional reasoning: associating truth with the intensity of emotion
Magnification/minimization: of the negative/positive aspects of situations.
Selective Abstraction/mental filter: focus on one detail at
the expense of others.
Mind-‐reading: You believe what others are thinking and not considering other possibilities.
Personalization: attributing cause of external events
to inherent weakness or inadequacy while disregarding
contradictory evidence
STUCTURE OF CBT
- Early sessions: assessment and conceptualization; goal setting
- Middle sessions: Cognitive (and behavioral) interventions
- Late sessions: evaluation, relapse prevention
COMMON CRITICISMS OF BECK’S THEORY / THERAPY
- Very limited consideration of emotion
- Limited place for behaviors
- Therapy ignores the therapeutic alliance
STUDY: Temple-Wisconsin Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression
Retrospective:
- HR (high-risk individuals) were twice more likely to report a history of depression in the past - But no differences in rate of anxiety
- Causal direction between cognitive vulnerability to depression and lifetime depression is unclear
Prospective:
- Participants without a depression:
•HR had greater likelihood of having first episodes (later) - 17% vs. 1%
•No significant differences in risk for anxiety - 7% vs. 3%
- Participants with a depression
•HR had greater risk (more likely to have a NEW depression) -27% vs. 6%
Predictors of Relapse Lower age of onset Lifetime history of dysthymia Severity of the first episode Cognitive vulnerability is stable over time --> Did not change during episode of depression
Cognitive Reactivity
Cognitive reactivity = fluctuations in person’s negative attitudes about themselves in response to daily negative events
Measured by self-report
- LEIDS or DSC
STUDY: cognitive reactivity as a predictor of depression
Longitudinal data, Netherlands study of depression and anxiety; 2,891 participants, including people with lifetime history of depression/anxiety
They looked at predictors such as baseline/subthreshold symptoms, negative recent life events, anxiety, family history, LEIDS, gender, age, education
Results: LEIDS was a strong predictor, as well as sub threshold mood disorder symptoms and recent negative life events
Autobiographical memory
memory concerned with life events
Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT)
Ask to provide a specific memory to in response to a positive or negative word.
Ex: “Happy” is the key –> they respond with a specific memory of their birthday
** the event must be from a specific time and place and lasting less than 24hours (ex can’t say my childhood)
Autobiographical memory and depression
Overgeneralized AMT response is predictor of depression after a negative life event.
Also seen in remitted patients and can predict the outcome/course of depression
Two kinds:
Categorical memory: class of similar events (ex: all my birthday parties)
Extended memory: events lasting more than a day (ex: walking my dog every morning)
Why does overgeneralized AMT tests predict depression?
Possible Mechanisms:
Rumination interfering with retrieval process
Avoiding painful memories
Impaired executive control (lead to issues with problem solving)
Study looking at AMT overgeneralization and 5-HTTLPR
Method: participants genotyped for s/s, s/l, l/l 5-HTTLPR gene. s/s and s/l at risk.
- asked AMT questions
- SCID interview
Results:
- More overgeneralized memories in those with a history of depression and s/s genotype
- Number of s alleles associated with greater number of specific memories in those without a history of depression
- Combination of MDD and s/s = lowest scores; no history of MDD and s/s = highest scores (better)
…….Why? Differential susceptibility hypothesis
• S/S are more sensitive to environment therefore, in negative environment do worse (therefore, MDD and bad AMT results) but in positive environment do better (therefore, no MDD and good AMT results)
Describe another study looking at serotonin and cognitive vulnerability
- eye tracking study- gaze bias
- genotypes: serotonin transporter 1a or 2a, 5-HTTLPR
o Calculate “genetic scores”; higher score, more at risk
o Individuals with higher serotonin cumulative genetic score were significantly more likely to look towards dysphoric images and away from positive images as mood reactivity increased (lower moods)
o Shows: cognitive and serotonin vulnerability may be related
How does normal sadness effect vulnerable individuals?
Triggers dysfunctional cognitions
Possible relapse prevention technique
Mindfulness
What entails mindfulness
- being aware of the situation without judgement
- accepting, letting go of struggle
Study supporting mindfulness
mindfulness CBT raises likelihood of survival compared to placebo with clinical management and maintenance of antidepressants
Cognitive Bias Modification
- Training individuals to be more concrete and less overgeneralized in their thinking
- leads to less rumination and better problem solving
- significant reduction in depressive symptoms
- Attentional training control: learn to selectively attend certain sounds and ignore others
- Reduction in symptoms of DEP
