5. The Cognitive Approach to Depression

Question 1

Key assumptions of the cognitive approach (depression)

Answer 1

• Individuals who suffer from mental health disorders (MHD) have distorted & irrational thinking - may cause maladaptive behaviour
• It is the way you think abt the problem rather than the problem itself which causes the MHD
• Individuals can overcome MHDs by learning to use more appropriate congitions. If ppl think in more +ve ways, they can be helped to feel better

Question 2

What did Aaron Beck suggest (1967)

Answer 2

• Beck suggested that there is a cognitive explanation as to why some ppl are more vulnerable to depression than others
• He suggested 3 parts to this cognitive vulnerability:
  1. faulty information processing
  2. negative self-schemas
  3. the negative triad

Question 3

Aaron Beck: faulty information processing

Answer 3

• Beck believed that ppl who have depression make fundamental errors in logic
• He proposed that ppl who have depression, tend to selectively attend to the -ve aspects of a situation & ignore the +ve aspects
• Tendency to blow small problems out of proportion w thinking in terms of black & white, ignoring the middle ground; you are a success of a failure (rather than not good at some things but OK at others)

Question 4

Aaron Beck: negative self-schema

Answer 4

• Ppl who have depression have developed negative self-schemas & therefore they interpret all the info abt themselves in a negative way

Question 5

Aaron Beck: the negative triad

Answer 5

• Beck built on the idea of maladaptive responses, & suggested that ppl w depression become trapped in a cycle of -ve thoughts
• They have a tendency to view themselves, the world & the future in pessimistic ways - the triad of impairments
  (negative view of the self, the world, the future)

Question 6

What did Albert Ellis (1962) propose

Answer 6

• Proposed that good mental health is the result of rational thinking
• Argued that there are common irrational beliefs that underlie much depression, & sufferers have based their lives on these beliefs
  eg. “I must be successful, competent & achieving in everything I do if I am to consider myself worthwhile”

Question 7

What did Albert Ellis create

Answer 7

Ellis’ ABC model

Question 8

What did Ellis’ ABC model suggest

Answer 8

(A) - an action is affected by
(B) - an individual’s beliefs which result in
(C) - a consequence
- If beliefs are subject to cognitive biases (in the same way as Becks) then they can cause irrational thinking which may produce undesirable behaviours

Question 9

Ellis’ ABC model: Activating event - A

Answer 9

• Ellis focused on situations in which irrational thoughts are triggered by external events
• We have depression when we experience -ve events & these events trigger irrational beliefs

Question 10

Ellis’ ABC model: Beliefs - B

Answer 10

• Ellis identified a range of irrational beliefs
• We must always succeed or achieve perfection ‘musturbation’
• ‘I can’t-stand-it-itis’ - whenever smth does not go smoothly, it is a disaster
• Utopianism - life is always meant to be fair

Question 11

Ellis’ ABC model: Consequences - C

Answer 11

• When an activating event triggers irrational beliefs, there are emotional & behavioural consequences

Question 13

What is a cognitive treatment for depression

Answer 13

CBT

Question 14

What does CBT stand for

Answer 14

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Question 15

What is CBT used for

Answer 15

A commonly used psychological treatment for depression/other mental health problems
eg. (anxiety, phobias, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder)

Question 16

What is CBT

Answer 16

• A method for treating mental disorders based on both behavioural & cognitive techniques
• It is a way of talking (psychotherapy) abt:
  - how you think abt yourself, the world & others
  - how what you do affects your thoughts/feelings

Question 17

What does the therapist aim to do in CBT

Answer 17

To make the client aware of the relationship between thought, emotion, & actions

Question 18

Why is CBT beneficial

Answer 18

• Can help ppl to change how they think (‘cognitive’) & what they do (‘behaviour’). These changes can help them feel better
• Can help break the vicious circle of maladaptive thinking, feelings, behaviour

Question 19

How does CBT relate to the cognitive techniques

Answer 19

From the cognitive POV, therapy aims to deal with the thinking, sa challenging negative thoughts

Question 20

How does CBT relate to behavioural techniques

Answer 20

CBT includes behavioural techniques sa behavioural activation (encouraging patients to engage un those active there are avoiding)

Question 21

What does CBT focus on

Answer 21

• Focuses on the ‘here and now’ problems, instead of focusing on the causes of distress or symptoms in the past. It looks for ways to improve the state of mind now
• When the parts of the sequences are clearly outlined & understood, they can be changed
• CBT aims to get the person to a point where they can ‘DIY’, & work out their own ways of tackling their problem

Question 22

What does CBT involve (stages)

Answer 22

see goodnotes page 32

Question 23

Two types of CBT

Answer 23

Beck’s CBT
Ellis’ CBT

Question 24

What is Beck’s Cognitive Therapy

Answer 24

Beck developed a therapy to challenge the negative triad (beliefs) of the client

Question 25

Stages of Beck's Cognitive Therapy

Answer 25

1. First, client will be assessed to discover the severity of their conditions 2. The therapist will establish a baseline (starting point), prior to treatment, to help monitor improvement

Question 26

What does Beck's Cognitive Therapy involve

Answer 26

- To feel better, you must think positively - Client is asked to provide info abt how they perceive themselves, the future & the world - Therapist would use a process of **reality testing** eg. if client says 'im useless, I always fail', they will be asked whether in reality, they have been successful at smth - The therapist might ask client to do smth to demonstrate their ability to succeed

Question 27

What is Ellis' CBT known as

Answer 27

Ellis' Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Question 28

What does Ellis' REBT do (in relation to ABC model)

Answer 28

REBT extends the ABC model to an ABCDE model - **D = Dispute (challenge the thoughts) - E = Effect (see a more beneficial effect on thought & behaviour)** Therefore the central techniques of REBT is to identify & dispute the patient's irrational thoughts

Question 29

Ellis' REBT: What does Ellis argue

Answer 29

Ellis (1962) argues that irrational thoughts are the main cause of all types of emotional distress & behaviour disorders

Question 30

What is Ellis' REBT based on

Answer 30

- REBT is based on the premise that whenever we become upset, it is not the events taking place in our lives that upset us; it is the beliefs that we hold that cause us to have depression, anxiety - REBT challengers the client to 'prove' these statements, & then replace them w more reasonable realistic statements (empirical disputing/logical disputing)

Question 31

Alternative explanations: Biological approach towards depression

Answer 31

The biological approach to understanding mental disorders suggests that genes & neurotransmitters may cause depression

Question 32

Alternative explanations: Drug therapy

Answer 32

The success of drug therapies for treating depression suggest that neurotransmitters do play an important role; the medication alters the levels of specific neurotransmitters & reduces the symptoms

Question 33

Alternative explanations: A diathesis-stress approach

Answer 33

Suggests that individuals w a genetic vulnerability for depression are more prone to the effects of living in a negative environment, which then leads to negative irrational thinking