The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression

Question 1

What is Beck’s negative triad?

Answer 1

Negative thoughts about: the self - seeing themselves as helpless and worthless, the world - obstacles are perceived within one’s environment the can’t be dealt with and the future - personal worthlessness is seen as blocking any improvements.

Question 2

What are negative schemas?

Answer 2

They are triggered when individuals are in situations that are similar to where those negative schemas were learnt. Beck perceived negative schemas as developing in childhood when authority figures placed unreal demands and were highly critical.

Question 3

What are examples of negative schemas?

Answer 3

Ineptness schemas - makes depressives expect to fail
Self-blame schemas - makes depressives feel responsible for all misfortunes
Negative self-evaluation schemas - constantly remind depressives of their worthlessness

Question 4

What are cognitive biases?

Answer 4

Arbitrary inference - conclusions drawn in the absence of sufficient evidence
Selective abstraction - conclusions drawn from just one situation
Overgeneralisation - sweeping conclusions drawn on the basis of a single event
Magnification and minimisation - exaggerations in evaluation of performance

Question 5

What is Ellis’ ABC model?

Answer 5

A - activating event - something happens in the environment around you
B - beliefs - you hold a belief about the event
C - consequence - you have an emotional response to your belief
The activating event triggers and emotion which leads to depression.

Question 6

What is the procedure for Beevers, Clasen, Stice and Schnyer’s study on functional magnetic resonance imaging study?

Answer 6

27 females aged 18-27
Depression was measured using CESD with 13 being placed in a low depression symptoms group and 14 in high.
The mean CESD score for the HDG was indicative of mild symptoms of depression.
432 trials were done where a single facial or geometric shape cue was presented on a screen with one target stimuli - pps pressed a button to indicate which target stimuli was presented and time measured to do this recorded.

Question 7

What are the findings of Beevers, Clasen, Stice and Schnyer’s study?

Answer 7

There was no difference in brain activation with neutral facial and geometric shape cues. Different brain activation was recorded between the LDG AND HDG during showing happy or sad faces in brain areas requiring cognitive control over emotional stimuli.

Question 8

What are the conclusions of Beevers, Clasen, Stice and Schnyer’s study?

Answer 8

Individuals with mild to moderate levels of depression have difficulty in activating brain areas associated with cognitive control of emotional info.
Poor cognitive control of emotional info may indicate levels of vulnerability to more severe forms of depression.

Question 9

Give evaluations for Beevers, Clasen, Stice and Schnyer’s study

Answer 9

The findings can’t be generalised to males and can’t be generalised to children or old people.
The CESD scale is regarded as highly reliable and valid.

Question 10

What is Macintosh and Fischer’s research?

Answer 10

They tested the negative cognitive triad and found no clear separation of negative thoughts and instead a single, one-dimensional negative perception of self.

Question 11

What are the strengths of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?

Answer 11

It is based on scientific principals that permit objective testing, allowing improvement of the model.
It acknowledges that other aspects can lead to certain thinking patterns that lead to depression.
Success in treating depression with cognitive therapies compared to other explanations.

Question 12

What are the limitations of the cognitive approach to explaining depression?

Answer 12

It is less successful in explaining and treating the manic component of bipolar depression.

Question 13

What is the genetic explanation of depression?

Answer 13

Vulnerability to depression is inherited.
Wender et al found that adopted children who have depression were more likely to have a depressive biological parent.

Question 14

What is the behavioural explanation for depression?

Answer 14

Sees depression as a learned condition.
Lewinsohn - negative life events may incur a decline in positive reinforcements and lead to learned helplessness.

Question 15

What is Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)?

Answer 15

Assists patients to identify irrational and maladaptive thoughts and alter them. Thoughts affect emotions and so are modified to reduce depressive symptoms.

Question 16

What is Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)?

Answer 16

It involves making patients irrational and negative thoughts more rational and positive by challenging these thoughts. It involves reinterpreting the ABC model positively.

Question 17

How can REBT be used to treat depression?

Answer 17

One or two sessions of therapy every two weeks for 15 sessions. Therapists help to interpret their thoughts as realistic - education phase.
Behavioural activation and pleasant event scheduling are aimed at increasing physiological activity and participation in social activities. Between sessions patients are given goals to boost self esteem - therapists only set tasks they’re confident they will succeed at.

Question 18

What is the procedure for Embling’s effectiveness of CBT in depression?

Answer 18

An opportunity sample of 38 aged 19-65 with depression diagnosed by ICD-10.
Waiting list group of 19 receiving medication and a 10-20min session once a week.
PPs in treatment group received 12 sessions of CBT where each session lasted between 60 and 90 mins - received 2 sessions per week for 4 weeks & 1 sessions a week for 4 weeks.
PPs used DTRs, recording their mood - weren’t used with the control group.
BDI-II was used to asses level of depression pre study.

Question 19

What are the findings for Embling’s study?

Answer 19

Treatment groups mean BDI-II scores decreased over the treatment - control groups stayed the same.
Treatment group expressed more negative emotions at end of study than beginning - part of CBT’s success.
Those who didn’t improve with CBT had high levels of perfectionism, low levels of autonomy and high external locus of control.

Question 20

What are the conclusions for Embling’s study?

Answer 20

Depressed patients are less likely to easily express negative emotions.
CBT combined with drug therapy is more effective than drug therapy alone.

Question 21

Give evaluations for Embling’s study

Answer 21

The improvement in condition of the treatment group may be due to them being seen more frequently and longer than control group.
Depressed patients should be psychologically measure to assess their suitability for CBT as it may not be appropriate for everyone.

Question 22

What is Lincoln et al’s research and how can it be used to support CBT?

Answer 22

Used a questionnaire to identify stroke victims who had developed clinical depression. 19 were given CBT sessions for 4 months & had reduced symptoms - suggests CBT is suitable for certain groups.

Question 23

What did the department of health say about CBT?

Answer 23

Revised research papers of treatments for depression and found CBT most effective but saying other treatments were effective too.

Question 24

What are the strengths of CBT?

Answer 24

CBT is most effective psychological treatment for moderate and severe depression and is effective in stopping mild turning into severe depression.
It occurs over reliably short period and is more cost effective.
Has long term benefits.

Question 25

What are the limitations of CBT?

Answer 25

Relies on the use of trained therapies.
Can be too therapist centred and therapists may abuse their power of control over patients, forcing them into certain ways of thinking and can become too dependant on therapists.