psychopathology - depression Flashcards
what is the definition of depression?
a mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels
what are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
activity levels, disruption to sleep and eating behaviour, aggression and self harm
describe activity levels as a behavioural characteristic of depression
reduced levels of energy make them lethargic. this has a knock on effect as people can withdraw from education and work. the opposite is psychomotor agitation where people struggle to relax
describe disruption to eating and sleep as a behavioural characteristic of depression
a person may experience insomnia or hypersomnia. a person may eat more or less, leading to weight loss or weight gain
describe aggression and self harm as a behavioural characteristic of depression
some become verbally or physically aggressive. depression can also lead to physical aggression towards the self, including forms of self harm such as cutting
what are the emotional characteristics of depression?
lowered mood, anger, lowered self esteem
describe lowered mood as an emotional characteristic of depression
experiencing lethargic and sad moods, or it can be feelings of worthlessness and emptiness
describe anger as an emotional characteristic of depression
some can experience extreme anger as a form of negative emotion, which can be directed towards the self or others
describe lowered self esteem as an emotional characteristic of depression
they like themselves less than usual, which can lead to self loathing or self hatred
what are the cognitive characteristic of depression?
poorer concentration, attending to and dwelling on the negative, absolutist thinking
explain poorer concentration as a cognitive characteristic of depression
a person may find themselves unable to stick with a task they usually would. poorer concentration and poorer decision making is likely to interfere with work
explain attending to and dwelling on the negative as a cognitive characteristic of depression
people may be more inclined to pay attention to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives. people may also have a bias towards recalling unhappy events
explain absolutist thinking as a cognitive characteristic of depression
most situations are either good or bad- “black and white thinking” so an unfortunate situation is seen as a disaster
what is Beck’s negative triad?
1967) took a cognitive approach to explaining why some people are more vulnerable to depression than others.
includes faulty information processing, negative self schema and the negative triad
explain faulty information processing (Beck)
depressed people attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives. they also tend to blow small problems out of proportion and have “black and white” thinking
explain negative self schema (Beck)
a depressed person interprets all information about themselves in a negative way
what is the negative triad? (Beck)
negative view of the world, the self and the future
explain Ellis’s ABC model
1962) poor mental health is caused by irrational thoughts, which are any thoughts that interfere with us being happy and free from any pain.
A- activating event, irrational thoughts are triggered by external events
B- beliefs- irrational beliefs begin, eg, the belief of always having to succeed is musturation
C- consequences, irrational beliefs trigger emotional and behavioural consequences
what is a strength of Beck’s negative triad?
research support-
cognitive vulnerability is ways of thinking that may lead to a person becoming depressed.
Clark and Beck (1999) concluded not only was cognitive vulnerability more common in depressed people but also caused the depression.
shows there is an association between cognitive vulnerability and depression
what is another strength of Beck’s negative triad?
real world application-
Cohen concluded that assessing cognitive vulnerability allows psychologists to screen young people who have a high risk of developing depression in the future.
this can be applied to cognitive behavioural therapy, which works by altering the kind of cognitions that make people vulnerable to depression
shows understanding cognitive vulnerability is useful in clinical practice
what is a strength of Ellis’s ABC model?
real world application in psychological treatment of depression-
rational emotive behaviour therapy is vigorously arguing with a depressed person until the therapist can alter the irrational beliefs that are making them unhappy.
David (2018) stated REBT can both change negative beliefs and relieve the symptoms of depression.
means REBT has real world value
what is a limitation of Ellis’s ABC model?
it explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression.
Ellis states depression is often triggered by life events which is called reactive depression.
however in many cases of depression, they are not traceable to life events and it is not obvious what caused it.
shows Ellis’s model is less useful in explaining endogenous depression so its only a partial explanation
how can we use the cognitive approach to treat depression?
cognitive behavioural therapy which challenges irrational thoughts
explain the process of cognitive behavioural therapy
1- an assessment will take place, where the therapist and patient work together to clarify the patients problem.
2- they jointly identify goals and put together a plan to achieve them
3- identify where there might be negative or irrational thoughts that will benefit from the challenge.
4- work on changing these thoughts and put more effective behaviours in place
