Pyschopathology- Depression (cognitive)

Question 1

What are the main assumptions of the cognitive approach to abnormality?

Answer 1

-People who suffer from psychological disorders have irrational and distorted thoughts and don’t adapt to their environment/situation
-the way you think about the problem rather than the problem itself causes the disorder
-Can overcome psychological problems by new ways of thinking (appropriate conditions)

Question 2

What are schemas and schemata?

Answer 2

-An organized pattern of thought/behaviour
-A structured cluster of pre conceived ideas

Question 3

What is diffivult to incorparate into schemas?

Answer 3

-New information

Question 4

Define major depressive disorder.

Answer 4

Severe but short term depression

Question 5

Define persistent depressive disorder

Answer 5

Long term or reaccuring depression which includes sustained major depression

Question 6

What is disruptive mood dysregulation disorder?

Answer 6

Intense and frequent childhood temper tantrums

Question 7

What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Answer 7

A disruption to mood prior to and or during menstruation ( a severe form of PMS)

Question 8

Define depression

Answer 8

-A mood disorder- affects your emotional state
-Emotional mood is distorted or inappropriate to the circumstances
-Low mood and energy levels

Question 9

What are the 3 emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 9

-Lowered mood
-Anger
-Lowered self esteem

Question 10

Explain the 3 emotional characteristics

Answer 10

Lowered mood- More severe than the daily experience of feeling lethargic/ sad, feelings of worthlessness/ emptiness
Anger- displayed towards others
Lowered self esteem

Question 11

What are the 3 behavioural characteristics?

Answer 11

-Activity levels
-Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
-Agression and self harm

Question 12

Explain the 3 behavioural characteritrcis

Answer 12

Activity levels- reduced energy levels, may not be able to get out of bed, lethargic
Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour- insomnia/ hypersomnia, apetite may increase/ decrease leading to weight loss/gain
Agression and self harm- agression towards themself

Question 13

What are the 3 cognitive charcteristics?

Answer 13

-Poor concentration
-Absolutist thinking
-Attending and dwelling on the negative

Question 14

Explain the 3 cognitive charcteristics

Answer 14

Poor concentration- unable to stick with a task, decision making is difficult
Absolutist thinking- black and white thinking, all or nothing
Attending and dwelling on the negative- Sufferes may dwell on thwe negative thoughts and experinces

Question 15

What are the 3 components of becks model of depression?

Answer 15

-Fualty information processing
-negative self schemas
-negative triad

Question 16

Explain faulty information processing.

Answer 16

-Depressed people make fundamental errors in logic
-They selectively attend to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive aspects
-|Blow small problems out of proportion with black-and-white thinking
-Ignoring the middle ground you are only a success or failure

Question 17

Explain negative self schemas

Answer 17

Schema- package of information that has developed with experience
-Self-schema is the ideas we have about ourselves
-DP have negative self-schemas
-Interpret information in a negative way

Question 18

Explain the negative triad

Answer 18

-They are trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts
-Tend to view themselves, the world and future pesimistically (triad of impairements

Question 19

When did Weissman and beck carry out thier study?

Answer 19

1978

Question 20

What was the aim?

Answer 20

To investigate the thought process of depressed peopl e to establish weather they make use of the negative schemas

Question 21

What was the result of their expetriment?

Answer 21

-Depressed particpants made more negative assesments than non depressed people
-When given therpay to challenge and change their negative schemas schemas their was an improvement in slef ratings

Question 21

What was the method?

Answer 21

Thought processes were meausred using the dysfunctional attitude scale (DSA)
-Particpamts were asked to fill out a questionare
on weather they agree/diagreed with statements

Question 22

What was the conclusion?

Answer 22

Depression involves the use of negative schemas

Question 23

What is Ellis’ ABC model?

Answer 23

A-Activating event
is affected by
B-Individuals belief
which results in
C- a consequence

Question 24

According to Ellis what causes irrational thinking and produces undesirable behaviours

Answer 24

Cognitive biases

Question 25

What is an activating event?

Answer 25

-Albert Ellis suggested that depression arises from irrational thoughts
-Occurs when we experience negative events

Question 26

What are the belifs about what happend?

Answer 26

Negative evnts trigger irrational belifs

Question 27

What are the consequences of what happend?

Answer 27

When an activating event triggers irational belifs their are emotional and behavioural consequences G

Question 28

Give a positive of becks cognitive theory of depression (good supporting evidence)

Answer 28

-Good suporting evidence
-Much research has supported the proposal that depression is associated with faulty information processing, negative self-schemas and the triad of impairments

Question 29

Give 2 positives of Beck’s cognitive theory of depression (Practical application in CBT) and (personal life events)

Answer 29

-Beck’s cognitive explanation forms the basis of cognitive aspects of depression that can be challenged in CBT

Personal life events are taken into account and are recognised as a starting point for the person’s depression

Question 30

Give a negative of Beck’s cognitive theory of depression (it does not explain all aspects of depression)

Answer 30

Theory explains all the basic symptoms of depression however it is a complex disorder with a range of symptoms not alll of which can be explained

Question 31

Give a positive of Ellis’ ABC model (Practical application in CBT)

Answer 31

-Led to succesful therapy
-Irational negative belifs are challenged and this can help to reduce depressive symptoms suggesting the the irrational thoughts have some role in depression

Question 32

Give 2 negatives of Ellis’ ABC model (only offers a partial explanation) and (responsibility)

Answer 32

-Some depression does occur as a result of an activating event (reactive depression)
-However, not all depression arises as a result of an obvious cause

It gives responsibility completely to the individual suffering from depression, which in turn could be seen as blaming them

Question 33

Give a negative of Ellis’ ABC model (It does not explain all aspeects of depression)

Answer 33

-EXplanation does not explain why some individuals experince anger associated with their depression and why some suffer from hallutionations and delusions

Question 34

What are the alternative explanations?

Answer 34

Biological approach- genes and neurotransmitters may cause depression, sucess of drug therapies suggest neurotransmitters do play a role (medication alters the levels in the neurotransmitters
Diathesis stress- individuals with a genetic vunreablity for depression are more prone to the effects of living in a negtaive enviroment whixh leads to negative irrational thinking

Question 35

What is the cognutive approach to treating depression

Answer 35

CBT
-BVased on both behavioural and cognitive techniques
-Therpaist aims to make the client aware of the relationship between thought, emotions and actions
-Helps to change how people think (cognitive) and what they do (behaviour)

Question 36

What does CBT involve?

Answer 36

-Meet with a therapist between 5 and 20 times for weekly and fortnightly sessions
-Each session last between 30-60 minutes
-Most draw on techniques used by Ellis

Question 37

What are the steps in CBT?

Answer 37

-Paitent and therapist identify patient problems and where negative and irrational thoughts must be challenged by the
-Identify the negative triad
-Patients encouraged to test the reality of thier irrational belifs

Question 38

What are the steps of cognitive therapy

Answer 38

-Paitent assessed to determine the severity of their condition
-Establish a baseline to monitor treatment
-Uses reality testing
-Paitent is asked to do a task which demonstrates their ability to succeed

Question 39

What is REBT?

Answer 39

-Identify and dispute the patient irrational thoughts
-Empirical argument- disputing whether there is evidence to support the irrational belief
-Logical argument- disputing whether the negative thought follows from the facts
-Replace them with reasonable realistic statements

Question 40

What is behavioural activation?

Answer 40

-Depressed individuals avoid difficult situations and become isolated which maintains/worsens behaviours
-Goal of treatments is to gradually decrease avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities that improve mood

Question 41

What is unconditional positive regard?

Answer 41

-Involves convincing the client of their worth
-The therapist provides respect and appreciation regardless of what the client says/ does which changes beliefs and attitudes

Question 42

Give a positive of the cognitive approach (Effective)

Answer 42

-CBT is effective at reducing symptoms of depression and preventing relapse
-Most effective treatment for moderate depression (as effective as antidepressants)
-Most effective in combination with drug therapy
-Although CBt may not work in the most severe cases as they cannot motivate themself to engage with therapy
-They can start antidepressants first so cannot be used solely in the worst cases

Question 43

Give a negative of the cognitive approach (relationship)

Answer 43

-Success may be due to the paitent- therapist relationship
-Little difference between CBT and other psychotherapy

Question 44

Give a negative of the cognitive approach (past issues

Answer 44

-Some patients want to talk and explore their past
-CBT focuses on present issues
-May be linked to childhood and the root cause

Question 45

Give a positive of the cognitive approach (economy)

Answer 45

-Positive implications on the economy
-Treatment of mental disorders and peoples ability to work contribute to society
-It is important to find effective treatment as it means a person will have to take fewer days of work