Psychopathology- EVALUATION-Cognitive Approach To Treating Depression

Question 1

✅ March

Answer 1

March (2007) randomly assigned 327 patients to one of three groups, CBT, drug therapy (the SSRI fluoxetine) and the third group was given a combined treatment of CBT and drug therapy. After 36 weeks, CBT and drug therapy had an effectiveness rate of 81%. CBT also had a more significant reduction in suicidal events than drug treatment. The best results came from the combination treatment, with an effectiveness rate of 86% and fewer suicidal events than either treatment alone.

Question 2

✅ some people -consider all

Answer 2

Some people with depression are too severely depressed to engage with the demands of CBT; completing homework, challenging irrational thoughts and attending sessions require motivation and commitment. Therefore, drug therapy may be reguired to stabilise a patient before psychological treatment.

Question 3

✅/❌

Answer 3

CBT assigns an active role to patients, giving them the responsibility to overcome their depression using tools provided by therapists. Advocates of CBT say this approach empowers patients and gives a sense of personal efficacy, enabling them to take control of their lives and make positive changes. In contrast, drugs often require a passive role where patients are reliant on biological intervention and may feel helpless. Critics of CBT argue saying the client is responsible for the depression is victim blaming and suggesting depression is all in the mind and would go away if the client just thought differently, leads to clients feeling shame and wider society thinking mental health conditions are less serious than other medical conditions.

Question 4

❌ overly focused on present ?

Answer 4

Both REBT and CBT may be overly focused on the present and how to restructure how the client thinks about their current situation cognitively. Clients may want to discuss severe trauma in their past, also reinterpreting present experiences does not necessarily improve the present situation; it may be that the client is in an unhealthy relationship, is experiencing unfulfilling work, discrimination or has financial problems, concerns about these social problems are not irrational.

Question 5

❌ expensive

Answer 5

As CBT can take 16 to 20 sessions with a trained therapist, it is an expensive treatment option. However, many patients prefer CBT to drugs due to the lack of side effects and a belief that CBT addresses the root cause of depression, not just reducing symptoms, as CBT is effective in the long term, with people able to return to work as productive workers and continue contributing to the economy. From a cost-benefit analysis, many feel CBT is worth the expense.