Treating depression - AO3

Question 1

What is a strength of treating depression (CBT)?

Answer 1

• P: Strength = evidence for its effectiveness
• E: March et al. (2007): compared effects of CBT with antidepressant drugs and a combination of the two in 327 depressed adolescents
• E: After 36 weeks 81% of CBT group, 81% of antidepressants group and 86% of CBT and antidepressants group were significantly improved
• L: This means there is a good case for making CBT the first choice of treatment in public healtth care systems like NHS

Question 2

What are two limitations of treating depression (CBT)?

Answer 2

• P: Limitation = suitability for diverse clients
• E: In severe cases depressed clients may not be able to motivate themselves to engage with the cognitive work of CBT. They may not even be able to pay attention in a session
• E: Sturmey (2005): suggests that any form of psychotherapy (including CBT) is not suitable for people with learning difficulties
• L: This means that CBT may only be appropriate for a specific range of clients
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• P: Limitation = high relapse rates
• E: Few early studies looked at long terms effectiveness and recent studies suggest that relapse is common
• E: Ali et al. (2017): assessed depression for 12 months following a course of CBT. 42% relapsed within six months of ending treatment and 53% within a year
• L: This means that CBT may need to be repeated periodically

Question 3

What is something to consider about CBT/treating depression?

Answer 3

• P: Client preference
• E: There is a large body of evidence to show that, use appropriately, CBT is highly effective at least in the short term, in tackling symptoms of depression
• E: However, some clients prefer to take medication or explore the past, some rate CBT as least preferred therapy (Yrondi et al. 2015)
• L: This suggests that people, even those who are depressed, should have the right to choose their therapy even if it may not be the one with the best evidence of effectiveness