PAPER 1 - PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - cognitive approach to explaining & treating depression

Question 1

what are cognitive distortions?

Answer 1

dysfunctional though processes e.g. negative & irrational thinking

Question 2

what is the fundamental belief of the cognitive approach in relation to mental disorders?

Answer 2

thinking shapes behaviour so depression would be caused by negative and irrational thinking

Question 3

what are 2 cognitive explanations for depression?

Answer 3

• Ellis’ ABC model
• Beck’s negative triad

Question 4

what is Ellis’ ABC model?

Answer 4

A - activating event
B - belief about that event
C - consequence of the belief

Question 5

what is mustabatory thinking?

Answer 5

involves 3 key thoughs & beliefs - all contain ‘must’
- i MUST be accepted by all
- i MUST do well in all that i do or i am worthless
- i MUST be happy in the world

Question 6

what is depression the result of?

Answer 6

• irrational thought processes
• individual focuses on negatives not positives
• perceptions & interpretations are distorted
• individual seen as being the cause of their own disorder as they control their thoughts

Question 7

what is Becks negative triad?

Answer 7

beck suggested that depressed people have negative thoughts about themselves, the world, and the future

Question 8

what are negative schemas?

Answer 8

• they adopt negative view of the world from those around us
• taught from peers/parents etc.
• core negative beliefs

Question 9

when are negative schemas triggered?

Answer 9

activated when encountering a new situation that resembles original situations where shcemas were learned

Question 10

what does Becks Negative Triad look like?

Answer 10

self - top of triangle
world - bottom left
future - bottom right

Question 11

how does Becks negative triad give distorted bias?

Answer 11

when the 3 components interact they give distorted bias in thinking & individuals blame themselves for misfortune

Question 12

how can negative schemas lead to systematic cognitive biases in thinking?

Answer 12

over-generalisation, sweeping conclusions of self worth etc.

Question 13

what are the combined strengths and limitations of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?

Answer 13

• research evidence for the relationship between negative thoughts and depression however this link doesn’t mean all negative thoughts may develop because of their depression
• cognitive approach suggests that it is the client responsible for the disorder - strength = focus on clients mind and recovery, limitation = client may feel guilt

Question 14

what is the strength of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?

Answer 14

therapy associated with the approach is CBT, can effectively be applied to depressed individuals - if depression is alleviated by challenging irrational thinking, then this suggests that thoughts had role in depression

Question 15

what are the limitations of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?

Answer 15

• not all irrational beliefs are ‘irrational’ they may simply seem irrational - Alloy & Abramson, depressed people tend to see things for what they are, found depressed people gave more accurate estimate of disaster
• alternative explanation - biological approach, cant be explained by cognitive approach alone

Question 16

what was the extension of Ellis’ ABC model?

Answer 16

D - disbuting irrational thoughts and beliefs
E - effects of disputing and Effective attitude to life
F - new Feelings that are produced

Question 17

what is local disputing?

Answer 17

self-defeating beliefs do not follow logically from the information available
- ‘does thinking this way make sense?’

Question 18

what is empirical disputing?

Answer 18

self-defeating beliefs may not be consistent with reality
- ‘where is the proof that this belief is accurate?’

Question 19

what is pragmatic disputing?

Answer 19

emphasises the lack of usefulness of self-defeating beliefs
- ‘how is this belief likely to help me?’

Question 20

what are the characteristics of CBT?

Answer 20

• homework
• behavioural activation
• unconditional positive regard

Question 21

what is homework as a characteristic of CBT?

Answer 21

• clients often asked to complete assignments between therapy sessions
• it is vital in testing irrational beliefs against reality, puts rational beliefs into practice

Question 22

what is behavioural activation as a characteristic of CBT?

Answer 22

• CBT often involves a specific focus on encouraging depressed clients to become active and engage in pleasurable activities
• make them do things they used to enjoy

Question 23

what is unconditional positive regard as a characteristic of CBT?

Answer 23

Ellis came to recognise that convincing the client of their value as a human increases the chance of them changing their beliefs & behaviour (if therapist provides respect & appreciation regardless)

Question 24

what are the strengths of CBT as a treatment for depression?

Answer 24

• effectiveness - Ellis found 90% success rate over 27 sessions to complete treatment
• 2013 research found CBT is better than no treatment at all
• Babyak studied 156 adult volunteers with depression, were randomly assigned to 4 month course of exercise, drug treatment or both - after 6 months exercise group has lower relapse rates
• behavioural activation = long term benefits
• can be used with drug therapy

Question 25

what are the limitations of CBT as a treatment for depression?

Answer 25

• drug treatment requires less client effort
• drug treatment allows individual to cope better
• not suitable for people with high levels of irrational beliefs that are rigid and resistant to change
• less suitable in situations where high levels of stress in individual reflect realistic stressors in persons life therapy cant control
• individual differences

Question 26

what is the dodo bird effect?

Answer 26

Saul Rosenzweig argues that all methods for treating disorders were equally effective
- small differences in success rates
- research found in over 100 studies comparing different therapies - little difference