cognitive approach to treating depression

Question 1

CBT

Answer 1

a combination of cognitive therapy (a way of changing maladaptive thoughts and beliefs) and behavioural therapy (a way of changing behaviour in response to these thoughts and beliefs)

Question 2

rational thinking

Answer 2

• flexible and realistic
• where beliefs are based and logic

Question 3

irrational thinking

Answer 3

• rigid and unrealistic
• lacks internal consistancy

Question 4

ABCDEF

Answer 4

• extended ABC model
• disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs, Effects of disputing and effective attitude to life, Feelings that are produced

Question 5

REBT

Answer 5

• rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy, focuses on disputing irrational thoughts
• logic disputing - self-defeating beliefs don’t follow logic
• empirical disputing - based on empirical data
• pragmatic disputing - lack of usefulness of self-defeating thoughts
• changes beliefs into rational ones, helps client feel better and become more self-accepting

Question 6

3 types of disputing

Answer 6

• logic
• empirical
• pragmatic

Question 7

logic disputing

Answer 7

self-defeating beliefs don’t follow logic

Question 8

empirical disputing

Answer 8

based on empirical data

Question 9

pragmatic disputing

Answer 9

lack of usefulness of self-defeating thoughts

Question 10

homework

Answer 10

clients often asks to do tasks between sessions
- vital in testing irrational beliefs against reality and putting new, rational beliefs into practice

Question 11

behavioural activation

Answer 11

• encourage clients to take part in activities that leaf to rewards acting as an antidote to depression
• therapist and client identify activities, anticipate and deal with cognitive obstacles

Question 12

unconditional positive regard

Answer 12

therapist provides respect and appreciation, client feels they have worth

Question 13

evaluation 1 - Cuijpers et al.

Answer 13

• Ellis claimed 90% success rate for REBT with 27 sessions
• CBT has generally done well in studies of depression, e.g. C- reviewed 75 studies, CBT was superior
• however, Ellis has recognised it’s not always effective, could be because client doesn’t but revised beliefs into action, therapist competence can also explain a lot of the variation in CBT outcome
• suggests REBT is effective but could be limited by other factors

Question 14

evaluation 2 - Individual differences

Answer 14

• less suitable for those with high levels of irrational beliefs that are rigid and resistant to change
• also less suitable where high levels of stress reflect realistic stressors therapy can’t resolve,
• Ellis - some don’t want the advice CBT therapists tend to say, they want to share their worries without getting involved with recovery
• individual differences affect the effectiveness

Question 15

Evaluation 3 - Rosenzweig ‘dodo effect’

Answer 15

• research finds fairly small differences in success rates,-
• Luborsky et al. reviewed 100 studies comparing different therapies, found only small differences
• R- argues the lack of difference is because of the amount of common factors in psychotherapies e.g. talking to a sympathetic person and having an opportunity to express thoughts
• could explain the lack of difference in effectiveness of therapies