CBT AO3

Question 1

EFFECTIVENESS FOR

Answer 1

P – CBT is an effective therapy for treating depression and anxiety.​

E- For example, Cahill et al (2003) found that after 12-20 sessions 71% of patients reported reduces symptoms. This was compared to a control group whereby 87% of participants without therapy did not have a reduction in symptoms. ​

E – This shows that CBT significantly improves the lives of those suffering from disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Question 1

EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST

Answer 1

CBT may be more suitable for some people compared to others​

Simons et al (1995) suggests that CBT appears less useful for those who have high levels of irrational beliefs, are resistant to change AND those whose stress reflects realistic stress in their life that cannot be resolved by CBT​

This suggests …​

CBT recognises that people have free will in their behaviours and mentality and is therefore suitable for those who may have not been genetically predisposed to mental illness

Question 2

ETHICAL IMPLICATION AGIANST: COST

Answer 2

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P – Further to the above, if there is a lack of effectiveness the cost of CBT also weakens its usefulness for some patients. ​

E- For instance, CBT costs £40-£80 with an average of 10-12 recommended sessions. Therefore this could cost a private patient over £800. ​

E – This is significantly more expensive than drug therapy and far less accessible on the NHS. This means that many will not be able to attend an adequate number of sessions if any. Restrictions on the NHS also mean that there is limited availability of face-face CBT with the alternative of telephone therapy. This means that fewer people’s lives can be improved than compared to drug therapy and more accessible treatments for depression.

Question 3

ETHICAL IMPLICATION AGAINST : BLAME

Answer 3

This cognitive approach to therapy assumes the client is responsible for their disorder by faulty/irrational thinking​

This suggests …​

important situational/social factors may be overlooked in these cases, e.g. family problems or life events that the client may have little power to change​

This suggests …​

As a result, ‘blaming’ the client for the way they think and behave may not be helpful to them as it may take other aspects of their lives to change in order for them to make the changes in order to feel better. Blaming the client could also cause further damage to their mental health.​