psychopathology Depression CBT

Question 1

STRENGTH, HAMBRUGER, EFFECTIVE

Answer 1

Research shows that CBT is an effective treatment for depression.

MARCH ET AL (2007) compare the effect of CBT with anti-depressants and a combo of the 2 in 327 adolescents with a main diagnosis of depression.
Post 36 weeks= 81% of CBT, 81% pf antidepressants and 86% of combined had significant improvements

This shows that CBT is just as effective at treating dep as anti-depressants AND the most effective treatments is a combo of bio and cognitive therapies

Question 2

HAMBRUGER,STRENGTH, EXCERSIZE

Answer 2

Research shows that exercise can be beneficial in alleviating depression.
Babyyak et al found that aerobic exercise, anti-depressants or both treat depression effectively but there were significantly lower relapse rates in the groups who exercised compared to who didn’t.
This shows that exercise used in the behavioural activation part of CBT is highly effective

Question 3

HAMBURGER, LIMITATION, INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Answer 3

A weakness of CBT is that individual differences influence its’ effectiveness.
Some patients can have such severe symptoms that they can’t engage with the therapy so antidepressants drugs were needed before therapy.
This means that CBT can’t be used as the sole treatment for all cases of depression.

Question 4

HAMBURGER, LIMITATION, RELIANCE ON THERAPIST

Answer 4

A limitation is that the success of CBT relies on the therapist-patient relationship.
Rosenweig (1936) suggested that differences between different methods of psychotherapy like CBT and systematic desensitization, might be small.
All therapies share a therapist-patient relationship so the quality of this relationship might be what determines the success rather than the technique used.
This suggests that just having the chance to talk someone is the most effective IN ALL TYPES OF PSYCHOTHERAPY

Question 5

LIMITATION, DOUBLE WHOPPER, OVEREMPHASIS

Answer 5

A limitation of CBT is its’ over-emphasis on the importance of cognition.
There is a risk that because of its emphasis on what’s happening in the mind of the patrient, CBT may actually minimise the importance of the circumstance sthat that patient gre wup in.
For example, a person suffering from addiction or poverty may need to change their situation rather than focus of their thoughts.
This could demotivate the individual to change their situation.