Approaches to explaining and treating - Depression Flashcards
(25 cards)
What approach is used to explain/treat depression ?
The cognitive approach (mental processes) (thoughts)
What are the two approaches to explaining depression?
Beck’s negative triad
Ellis’s ABC model
What is Beck’s Negative Triad ?
Explain why some people are more vulnerable to depression
Cognitive vulnerability
What are the 3 parts to cognitive vulnerability ?
Faulty information processing
Negative Self-schema
The negative Triad
What is faulty information processing ?
Depressed people attend to negative aspects of a situation ignore positives.
(If depressed and i won $1mil i would focus on the fact that someone else won more money the week before)
(Black/white thinking) - Something is either all good or all bad.
What is a negative self-schema ?
Schema = package of ideas and info developed through experience
Mental framework for interpretation of sensory info
Self-schema = package of info people have about themselves.
Schema = used to interpret the world
If negative = Interpret all information about themselves in a negative way.
What is the negative triad?
Negative view of the world - Impression that there is no hope anywhere.
Negative view of the future - No hope for the future - nothing will get better
Negative view of self - Self-loathing/low self-esteem - may think they are a failure.
Evaluation of Beck cognitive model of depression - Research support - Strength
Hint - Cohen - Cognitive vulnerability
Cognitive vulnerability - Ways of thinking that may predispose a person to become depressed.
Cohen - Tracked development of 473 teens regularly measuring cognitive vulnerability.
Finding - Showing CV predicted later depression
Showing there is an association between CV and depression
Evaluation - negative - Partial explanation
Shows depressed people show patterns of cognition
But some aspects of depression like
extreme anger/hallucinations/delusions not well explained.
What is Ellis’s ABC model ?
Good mental health = rational thinking - thinking in ways that allow people to be happy/free from pain.
Bad mental health (anxiety/depression) = Irrational thinking - stop us from being happy/free from pain.
ABC model explain how irrational thoughts affect our behaviour/emotional state.
A - Activating event
Where irrational thoughts are triggered by external events.
when we get depressed we experience negative events these trigger irrational beliefs.
Ending a relationship can trigger an irrational belief.
B- Beliefs
Irrational beliefs
We must always succeed
Things being a major disaster from minor problems
Life should always be fair
C - Consequences
Activating event triggers irrational beliefs with emotional/behavioural consequences.
(Belief that i must always succeed)
(If i then fail)
Depression can be triggered.
Evaluation ABC model - Real-world application
Positive
Psychological treatments
Rational emotive behaviour therapy
Arguing with the depressed person can alter the irrational beliefs.
Evaluation ABC model - Reactive/endogenous depression
Limitation
Only explains reactive depression not endogenous
Can only explain some cases not all.
Endogenous = Cases of depression not traced back to life events/not obvious what leads to the depression at particular time.
What therapy is used when treating depression ?
What is it ?
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Treating mental disorders on both cognitive and behavioural techniques.
Challenging negative thoughts
Behavioural activation
What are the cognitive and behavioural elements of this therapy ?
Cognitive - Client/therapist work to clarify clients problems.
Identify goals and put a plan to achieve them.
(Identify irrational thoughts).
Behaviour - Working to change negative/irrational thoughts putting better behaviours in place.
What is Beck’s cognitive therapy
Identify thoughts about the world-future-self (Negative triad)
These then must be challenged
Test reality of negative beliefs - (No one likes them)
Give client a journal and record when people were nice to them.
If in future sessions they say their belief the therapist can show proof that it’s not true.
What is Ellis’s - Rational emotive behaviour therapy ?
Become ABCDE model
D= Dispute E= Effect
Identify and challenge irrational thoughts.
Client could say they are unlucky/things are unfair
Therapist could reply saying these are examples of Utopianism (challenge this irrational belief) (Through vigorous argument)
Change the irrational belief and break link between negative life events/depression.
What does Ellis’s different methods of Disputing ?
Empirical = Disputing if there is evidence to support the belief.
Logical = Disputing if the negative thought logically follows from the facts.
What is behavioural activation ?
Hint - Reinforcing activity
Depressed individuals will avoid difficult situations - isolated -maintains symptoms - become worse
Goal to decrease avoidance/isolation and increase engagement in activities to improve mood. (Exercise - going out for dinner)
Evaluation - Positive - Effectiveness
Evidence shows CBT works
March et al (2007)
Compared CBT/Antidepressant drugs/combo of both
Treated 327 depressed adolescents
36 weeks - 81% CBT group 81% of ADD and Combo group 86% improved.
Just as effective and better when used as a combo.
6-12 sessions = Cheap
First choice for therapy
Evaluation - Negative - Suitability for diverse clients
Not effective for severe cases and clients with learning disabilities
Depression so severe client cannot motivate themselves to engage with the cognitive work.
Treatment = Complex/rational thinking not work for clients with learning disabilities.
Counterpoint to suitability for diverse clients
If therapy used appropriately can be effective for clients with learning disabilities.
