PAPER 1 - PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - cognitive approach to explaining & treating depression Flashcards
what are cognitive distortions?
dysfunctional though processes e.g. negative & irrational thinking
what is the fundamental belief of the cognitive approach in relation to mental disorders?
thinking shapes behaviour so depression would be caused by negative and irrational thinking
what are 2 cognitive explanations for depression?
- Ellis’ ABC model
- Beck’s negative triad
what is Ellis’ ABC model?
A - activating event
B - belief about that event
C - consequence of the belief
what is mustabatory thinking?
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
what is depression the result of?
- 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
what is Becks negative triad?
beck suggested that depressed people have negative thoughts about themselves, the world, and the future
what are negative schemas?
- they adopt negative view of the world from those around us
- taught from peers/parents etc.
- core negative beliefs
when are negative schemas triggered?
activated when encountering a new situation that resembles original situations where shcemas were learned
what does Becks Negative Triad look like?
self - top of triangle
world - bottom left
future - bottom right
how does Becks negative triad give distorted bias?
when the 3 components interact they give distorted bias in thinking & individuals blame themselves for misfortune
how can negative schemas lead to systematic cognitive biases in thinking?
over-generalisation, sweeping conclusions of self worth etc.
what are the combined strengths and limitations of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?
- 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
what is the strength of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?
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
what are the limitations of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?
- 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
what was the extension of Ellis’ ABC model?
D - disbuting irrational thoughts and beliefs
E - effects of disputing and Effective attitude to life
F - new Feelings that are produced
what is local disputing?
self-defeating beliefs do not follow logically from the information available
- ‘does thinking this way make sense?’
what is empirical disputing?
self-defeating beliefs may not be consistent with reality
- ‘where is the proof that this belief is accurate?’
what is pragmatic disputing?
emphasises the lack of usefulness of self-defeating beliefs
- ‘how is this belief likely to help me?’
what are the characteristics of CBT?
- homework
- behavioural activation
- unconditional positive regard
what is homework as a characteristic of CBT?
- clients often asked to complete assignments between therapy sessions
- it is vital in testing irrational beliefs against reality, puts rational beliefs into practice
what is behavioural activation as a characteristic of CBT?
- 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
what is unconditional positive regard as a characteristic of CBT?
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)
what are the strengths of CBT as a treatment for depression?
- 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
what are the limitations of CBT as a treatment for depression?
- 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
what is the dodo bird effect?
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
