Paper 1 - Psychopathology - Depression

Question 1

How frequent are mental health problems in the UK?

Answer 1

1 in 6 people in the UK

Question 2

How many deaths in the UK from suicide in 2021?

Answer 2

Approximately 6320

Question 3

State the stats about people who have reported that they have suffered from depression?

Answer 3

3.3% in 100

4.8 in 2017 (teenagers)

Question 4

How are depression and depressive disorders characteristic?

Answer 4

Changes to mood

Question 5

What are the different categories of depression in the DSM-V?
Give a brief explanation of each?

Answer 5

Major depressive disorder - severe but short term
Persistent depressive disorder - long term or recurring depression including sustained major depression
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder - childhood tantrums
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder - disruption to mood prior to and/or during menstruation

Question 6

What is unipolar depression?

Answer 6

A subtype of major depression:
An episode of depression that can occur suddenly
It can be reactive - eg after the death of a loved one
Or it can be endogenous - neurological factors

Question 7

What is bipolar disorder?

Answer 7

A subtype of major depression:
Sufferers are manic and depressive
There is a change of mood in regular cycles
Mania : over-activity, rapid speech, and feeling happy or agitated

Question 8

What are the emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 8

Defining emotion element of depression are worthlessness and empty
Lowered mood
Lowered Self esteem
Anger (at self or others)

Question 9

What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 9

Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour which can lead to insomnia or hypersomnia and weight gain or loss
Aggression and self harm: can be irritable and this leads to verbal or physical agression

Anxiety levels: feeling lethargic leading to withdraw from work, education and social life
This can also lead to:
Psychomotor agitation: unable to relax and end up pacing
Anhedonia - decreased ability to feel pleasure/lose of interest

Question 10

What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 10

Poor concentration due to rumination of thoughts leading to poor problem solving and decision making skills.
We ruminate on negative thoughts because our cognition becomes more negative. This is further emphasised by absolutist thinking

Question 11

What are the assumptions in terms of depression of the cognitive approach?

Answer 11

It is the way that you think about the problem rather than the problem itself which causes the mental disorder: distorted and irrational thinking (cause maladaptive behaviours)
- individuals can overcome mental health disorders by learning to use more appropriate cognitions. If people think in a more positive way can be helped to feel better

Question 12

What were the main 3 things that Beck believed about depression?

Answer 12

Faulty information processing
Negative scheemas
The negative triad

Question 13

What mental health disorder did Aron Beck work on?

Answer 13

Depression

Question 14

What did Beck say about faulty information processing?

Answer 14

Beck believed that people who are depressed make fundamental errors in logic
He proposed that depressed people tend to selectively attend to the negative aspects of a stimulus sand ignore the positive aspects
Also that there is a tendency to blow small problems out of proportion with absolutist thinking and ignoring the middle ground

Question 15

What did Beck believe about negative schemas?

Answer 15

People who become depressed they develop a negative self schema and therefore they interpret all the information about themselves in a negative way

Question 16

What is the negative triad

Answer 16

Depressed people have a tendency to view themselves, the world and the future in pessimistic ways

Question 17

Which 2 psychologists studied depression?

Answer 17

Albert Ellis
Aron Beck

Question 18

What did Ellis propose about mental health?

Answer 18

That good mental health is the result of rational thinking
He argued that people with depression have similar irrational believes and they base their lives on this lead to the ABC model

Question 19

What was Ellis’ theory?
(The name)

Answer 19

ABC model

Question 20

In Ellis’ theory what does the A,B and C stand for?

Answer 20

Activating event
Belifs
Consequences

Question 21

Explain the A in Ellis’ theory?

Answer 21

Activating event

He focused on situations which

Question 22

Explain the B in Ellis’s theory?

Answer 22

Ellis identified a range of irrational beliefs:
We must always succeed or achieve perfection “mustebation”
Depressed people tend to believe that whenever something doesn’t go smoothly it is a disaster
Depressed people tend to believe in utopianism - life is always ment to be fair

Question 23

Explain the C in ellis ABC model?

Answer 23

When an activating event triggers irrational beliefs they are emotional and there are behavioural consequences

Question 24

What are the different evaluations for Beck?

Answer 24

General
Practical applications for CBT
It doesn’t explain all aspects of depression

Question 25

Explain the evealuation of Beck: general

Answer 25

Much research has been done suggesting that depression is associated with faulty information processing, negative schemas and the triad of impairment Grazioli and Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after giving birth Those high in cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post natal depression Clark and Beck (1999) they reviewed research on depression and concluded that there were solid support for all these cognitive vulnerability factors as the cognitions can be seen before depression develops

Question 26

Explain the evaluation for Beck: practical applications for CBT

Answer 26

Beck's cognitive explanation forms the basis for CBT where all cognitive aspects of depression can be challenged (in CBT)

Question 27

Explain the evaluation of Beck: it doesn't explain all aspects of depression

Answer 27

It explains the basics but not everything (it is quite reductionist and doesn't explain more complex aspects and characteristics of depression) A complex type of depression: Cotard syndrome: the delusion that you are a zombie

Question 28

What are the different evaluations for Ellis' theory?

Answer 28

It is an incomplete explanation Practical applications Cognitive primacy Attachment and depression

Question 29

Explain the evaluation of Ellis' theory: it is an incomplete explanation

Answer 29

Some depression does occur as a result of an activating event (reactive depression) However, not all depression has an obvious cause It doesn't explain the occasional anger aspect of depression or why some patient suffer hallucinations and delusions

Question 30

Explain the evaluation of Ellis' theory: practical applications

Answer 30

It has lead to successful therapy (CBT) Where irrational belies can be challenged which can help reduce depressive symptoms

Question 31

Explain the evaluation of Ellis' theory: cognitive primacy

Answer 31

The cognitive explanation of depression assumes that emotions are influenced by the cognition and therefore depression is a cognitive phenomena. However, other theories assume that emotions are repressed and released latter after a casual event causing depression

Question 32

Explain the evaluation of Ellis' theory: attachment and depression

Answer 32

There is a link between insecure attachment to parents and vulnerability to depression in adulthood

Question 33

In what aproach do Ellis and Becks approach lay ther foundations in?

Answer 33

The cognitive approach

Question 34

What is the biological approaches explanation of depression? Evidence to support?

Answer 34

Genes and neurotransmitters cause depression Successful drug therapies suggest that neurotransmitters play an important role so at the very least it would make sense to consider a diathesis stress model

Question 35

What is the most commonly used method of treating depression?

Answer 35

CBT

Question 36

What can CBT be used to treat?

Answer 36

Depression, anxiety, panic, phobia, stress, OCC, PTSD, Bipolar disorder

Question 37

What approaches is CBT grounded in?

Answer 37

Behavioural and cognitive

Question 38

What are the aims of a CBT therapist?

Answer 38

To make the client aware of the relationship between thought, emotions and actions And to change the way that people think and what they do

Question 39

What is CBT?

Answer 39

A type of psychotherapy which challenges negative thoughts and may include behaviour techniques such as behavioural action. It is focused on the present and not dwelling on past thoughts. It can help to break the vicious circle of maladaptive thinking, feeling and behaviour CBT also aims to get the patient to a point where they can be self supporting

Question 40

Who developed CBT 2?

Answer 40

Elis

Question 41

What extends the ABC model and to what?

Answer 41

REBT - Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It adds a D and E D - dispute (challenge the thoughts) E - effect (see a more beneficial effect on thoughts and behaviour

Question 42

What are some common irrational thoughts?

Answer 42

Question 43

What are the different evaluations of treatments of depression?

Answer 43

It is effective CBT and drug treatment Success could be due to the therapist It may not work for more sever cases Some patients may want to explore their past There is an over reliance on cognition

Question 44

Explain the evaluation of treatments of depression: it is effective

Answer 44

CBT is effective in reducing symptoms and in preventing relapses and there is a large body of evidence to support this (maren et al. 2007) 327 adolescents. After 36 weeks 81% of both the CBT group and the antidepressants group and 86% of combined treatments showed improved symptoms

Question 45

Explain the evaluation of treatments of depression: CBT and Drug treatment

Answer 45

Keller et al (2000) recovery rates (from depression) 55% with drugs alone 52% with CBT alone 85% when used together

Question 46

Explain the evaluation of treatments of depression: it may not work for more severe cases

Answer 46

In some cases patients may not be motivated enough to do therapy I these cases it is possible to treat with drugs first and then CBT This is a limitation of CBT as it can't be used solely in every case

Question 47

Explain the evaluation of treatments of depression: success could be due to the therapist

Answer 47

Rosenweig (1936) Research has shown that there is little difference between CBT and other forms of psychotherapy Therefore it may be due to the quality of the therapist

Question 48

Explain the evaluation of treatments of depression: some patients may want to explore their past

Answer 48

Depression may be linked to childhood experiences So so0me people may find the present focus of CBT very frustrating

Question 49

Explain the evaluation of treatments of depression: there is an over reliance on cognition

Answer 49

There is a risk that in focusing on hat is happening in the mind of the individual may end up minimising the importance of the circumstances the individual is living in There is therefore an ethical issue for cognition therapists (important to keep in mind that all problems are not in the mind

Question 50

What does REBT stand for?

Answer 50

Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy

Question 51

Explain the basis of REBT?

Answer 51

It is bases on the concept that we become upset due to our beliefs that cause us to become anxious, depressed, enraged Ellis believed that we make impossible and irrational internal demands leading to psychological difficulties

Question 52

What is REBT?

Answer 52

REBT challenges the client to disprove our internal demands and replace them with more realistic demands

Question 53

What is the difference between CBT and CBT 2?

Answer 53

The D and E