The cognitive approach to treating depression Flashcards
What is Cognitive behavioural therapy?
A method for treating mental disorders based on those cognitive and behavioural techniques. From the cognitive viewpoint the therapy aims to deal with thinking such as challenging negative thoughts - included techniques such as behavioural activation
What are irrational thoughts?
Also called dysfunctional thoughts, In Ellis’ model and therapy, these are defined as thoughts that are likely to interfere with a persons happiness - such dysfunctional thoughts lead to mental disorders such as depression
What is the most commonly used psychological treatment for depression and other mental health problems?
CBT -if you see a clinical psychologist chances are you will receive CBT
How does CBT work?
Begins with an initial assessment where patient and therapist establish the problem then they jointly identify goals. Has to be whether the negative and irrational though will benefit from challenge. It then involves working to change negative and irrational thoughts and put more effective behaviours in place
What is the idea behind the therapy?
Identify thoughts about the world, self and future - these thoughts must then be challenged - patients also have to test the reality of their negative beliefs so the patient acts as a scientist and when they are negative about something in future evidence can be produced to prove them wrong
What is Ellis’s rational emotive behaviour therapy
Extends the ABC model to the ABCDE model (D=dispute and E=effect)
What is the central technique of REBT?
To identify and dispute irrational thoughts e.g. if a patient talked about how unlucky they’ve been a therapist identify this as examples of utopianism and challenge it - this would involve a vigorous argument
What is the attended effect of REBT?
To change the irrational belief and change the link between negative life events and depression
What are the different methods Ellis found for disputing?
Empirical argument - disputes whether there is actual evidence to support negative belief
Logical argument - disputes whether the negative thought logically follows from the facts
What is behavioural activation?
Alongside the purely cognitive aspects of CBT the therapist may also work to encourage a depressed patient to be more active and engage in enjoyable activities - the behavioural activation will provide more evidence for the irrational nature of beliefs
How do we know that it is effective?
There is a lot of evidence to support the effectiveness of CBT
March et al compared the effects of CBT with anti-depressant drugs and a combination of the two in 327 adolescents and after 36 weeks 81% of the CBT group had improved and 81% of drugs group had showing it to be just as effective as a drug so good for NHS
Why may CBT not work for most cases?
In some cases patients can’t motivate themselves to complete the difficult CBT tasks or cant pay attention to them so it may be better to start on medication before engaging in CBT so this is a limitation as it cant be used as a sole treatment in depression
Why may success to due to the therapist patient relationship?
Rosenburg (1936) suggested the difference between CBT and other treatments such as SD may be small. All therapies require essential relationship between patient and therapist
Why is the fact that some patients want to talk about their past a weakness?
The aim of CBT is not to explore the past but some other therapies do this. Some patients are aware that their past and childhood experiences are linked and may want to talk about it. Some may find this process very frustrating
Why is overemphasis on cognition a weakness?
By overemphasising the role of the mind there is a risk of minimising the importance of the circumstance the patient is living in .
Mccusker 2014 said that a person who is living in poverty or in an abusive relationship need to change their circumstances and any therapy that emphasises what is happening in the patients mind rather than their environment can prevent this
