Psychology (Unipolar Depression: Psychological Treatments)

Question 1

What is the study that looks at the effectiveness of CBT for Depression?

Answer 1

Hans and Hiller

Question 2

Outline Hans and Hiller findings

Answer 2

Hans and Hiller found statistically significant improvement outcomes for depressive symptoms in those who completed CBT over those who dropped out.

There was no significant difference between the outcomes of individual and group CBT treatments and CBT dropout rates were higher in individual sessions, than in group sessions.

Question 3

Outline Hans and Hiller conclusions

Answer 3

The meta-analysis findings would suggest that routine CBT for outpatients is effective.

Despite the favourable outcomes from completing CBT, there is a high dropout rate, with on average every fourth person who begins CBT dropping out before completion

Question 4

Evaluate Hans and Hiller

Answer 4

It is reductionistic as it only includes the adult population and not others such as the younger or elderly population.

It is reliable as Hans and Hiller both coded the studies, adding inter-rater reliability.

It is also reproducible as it uses a standardised procedure (using standardised coding system).

It is representative of the target population as they have used 34 effectiveness studies from multiple databases and even added ones that were obtained by hand via references.

Question 5

Evaluate CBT for Depression

Answer 5

Fave et al (1988) assigned 40 patients with recurrent depression to one of two conditions. In the first, they received drug treatment alone. In the second they received drugs and CBT. The group who received drugs and CBT showed a greater reduction in symptoms. Two years later 75% of this group were still free of symptoms, in the drug only condition only 25% were free of symptoms.

Similarly Stiles et al (2006) have concluded that CBT is no more effective than other psychological therapies such as person-centred therapy.

CBT is accused of being reductionist: it places too much emphasis on cognitions. Often, a person with depression has relationships and a social environment that don’t just seem bad to them, but which are objectively bad. They may be living in poverty, experiencing racism or sexual abuse, struggling with drug addiction or excessive workload. There may also be biological factors that can’t be changed just by thinking differently.

A psychologist has also found out that drug therapy is 81% effective, whereas adding CBT to it increases the effectiveness only by 5% (86%). This suggests that there is an over emphasis on CBT being the sole reason for its effectiveness, but the combined drugs are actually proving to be grasping the whole effectivenss of CBT.