Treating Depression

Question 1

What is CBT?

Answer 1

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Involves both cognitive & behavioural elements
Aims to identify irrational & negative thoughts with more positive & rational ones
Behavioural element of CBT encourages patients to test beliefs through behavioural experiments & homework
CABI

Question 2

What are the component of CBT?

Answer 2

Initial assessment - patient & therapist identify patient’s problems
Goal setting - patient & therapist agree on set of goals & plan of action to achieve goals
Identifying negative/irrational thoughts & challenging these through Beck or Ellis
Homework
HAGI

Question 3

What will CBT sessions look like if the therapist uses Beck’s theory?

Answer 3

Help patient identify negative thoughts towards themselves, world & future (negative triad)
Patient & therapist work together to challenge these thoughts by discussing evidence for & against
Patient encouraged to test validity of negative thoughts & may be set homework to challenge them

Question 4

What will CBT sessions look like if the therapist uses Ellis’s theory?

Answer 4

Main idea like Beck is to challenge irrational thoughts, however through argument
Therapist disputes patient’s irrational beliefs to replace them with more effective beliefs & attitude

Could be:
Logical dispute - therapist questions logic - “does way you think about event make sense?”
Empirical dispute - therapist seeks evidence - “where is the evidence that your beliefs are true?”

Question 5

How does homework help treat depression during CBT?

Answer 5

Patient identifies own irrational beliefs & proves them wrong, so beliefs begin to change
E.g. someone anxious in social situations will go meet friend for drink

Question 6

Evaluate the cognitive treatment for depression

Answer 6

Limitation - only partial explanation
E.g. - depression caused by external stressor called reactive depression & some see it as different from kind of depression that arises without cause
Explain - Ellis’s explanation only applies to some kinds of depression, thus, only partial explanation for depression

Limitation - its costly & time consuming
E.g. - 16-20 sessions with trained professional needed
Explain - access limited as NHS has limited funds to fund patients doing it, making it less viable treatment compared to anti-depressants which are cheaper & more accessible

Strength - CBT impacts more areas of life positively
E.g. compared to other treatments like anti-depressants
Explain - people in control of mental health results in fewer sick days & increased productivity at work