the cognitive approach to treating depression

Question 1

define cognitive behavioural therapy

Answer 1

a combination of cognitive therapy (a way of changing maladaptive thoughts and beliefs) and behavioural therapy (a way of changing behaviour in response to these thoughts and beliefs).

Question 2

homework

Answer 2

clients are often asked to complete assignments between therapy sessions. such homework is vital in testing irrational beliefs against reality and putting new rational beliefs into practice.

Question 3

Albert Ellis on CBT 1950s

Answer 3

ellis was one of the first psychologists to develop a form of CBT whereby its aim is to turn these irrational thoughts into rational ones.

he renamed his therapy ‘rational emotive therapy’ RET because the therapy focuses on resolving emotional problems, and later renamed it to ‘rational emotional behaviour therapy’ REBT because the therapy also resolves behavioural problems.

Question 4

CBT: ellis’ REBT

Answer 4

REBT extends the ABC model to ABCDE model- D stands for disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs, and E for effects of disputing. the central technique of REBT is to identify and dispute irrational thoughts.

Question 5

behavioural activation

Answer 5

a characteristic of many depressed people is that they no longer participate in activities that they previously enjoyed; CBT often involves a specific focus on encouraging depressed clients to become more active and engage in pleasurable activities.

this behavioural activation will provide more evidence for the irrational nature of beliefs.

Question 6

unconditional positive regard

Answer 6

Ellis 1994 came to recognise that an important ingredient in succesful therapy was convincing the client of their value as a human being. if the client feels worthless, they will be less willing to consider changing their beliefs and behaviour.

Question 7

evaluation points

Answer 7

• CBT emphasises focusing on the present and future rather than delving into the patients past.
• research on behavioural activation

Question 8

weakness

evaluation point

Answer 8

CBT emphasises focusing on the present and future rather than delving into the patients past.

thus, it can be frustrating for some patients who believe that their current depression is deeply rooted in past experiences.

-> look to alternative treatments, such as the use of antidepressant medications like SSRIs.

-> unlike CBT, which often requires a significant commitment from the client, drug therapies necessitate less effort and can be used in conjunction with CBT.

may be advantageous, as it can help alleviate distress and enable clients to better engage with the demands of therapy.

Question 9

strength

evaluation point

Answer 9

research on behavioural activation whereby the belief that changing behaviour can go some way to alleviating depression is supported by a study on the beneficial effects of exercise.

Babyak et al. (2000) conducted a study involving 156 adult volunteers diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

• randomly assigned to a four-month course of aerobic exercise, antidepressant medication, or a combination of both.

results showed significant improvement in all three groups by the end of the study.

six months after the study concluded:
- individuals in the exercise group exhibited-> lower relapse rates compared to those in the medication group.

suggests that incorporating behavioral activation techniques into treatment approaches, which are central to the cognitive approach, can yield positive outcomes for individuals struggling with depression. .