depression

Question 1

what 4 emotions define depression?

Answer 1

• sadness
• discouragement
• pessimism
• hopelessness

Question 2

when does depression become clinically significant?

Answer 2

• when severe or prolonged
• when results in significant impairment at personal, relational and professional levels

Question 3

how is major depressive disorder recognised (MDD)?

Answer 3

five or more of symptoms being present during same 2-week period and show a change from previous functioning

Question 4

what are the features of depressive disorders?

Answer 4

• high co-morbidity with anxiety/stress
• more prevalent in females vs males
• variety of symptoms
• high likelihood of recurrence

Question 5

causes of depression: genes?

Answer 5

prevalence of mood disorders 2/3x higher among blood relatives

Question 6

causes of depression: environment?

Answer 6

• stressful life events
• chronic stress
• social media

Question 7

causes of depression: gene-environment interplay (neurotic people)?

Answer 7

neurotic people have negative appraisal of events and more likely to experience stressful life events

Question 8

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what is the psychodynamic perspective of depression?

Answer 8

• depression = anger turned inwards
• depression as response to imagined or symbolic loss (Freud, 1971)
• striking similarities between depression and grief

Question 9

what is the behavioural perspective of depression?

Answer 9

• lack of positive reinforcement
• lack of reinforcement capacity of previously reinforcing stimulus
• increase in negative reinforcement
• BUT no causal link established

Question 10

behavioural perspective of depression: behavioural activation treatment?

Answer 10

• e.g., scheduling daily activities, mastery and pleasure asks, exploring alternative behaviours to reach goals
• goal = increase levels of positive reinforcement & reduce avoidance and withdrawal

Question 11

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cognitive perspective of depression: cognitive depressive triad?

Answer 11

• Beck (1979)
• said that people have 3 types of thoughts
• thoughts focus on: negative appraisals of the self, negative perception of the world around us, negative appraisals about the future
• depressogenic schemas = rigid, extreme and counterproductive ways of thinking

Question 12

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cognitive perspective of depression: cognitive depressive triad - how do we form depressogenic schemas?

Answer 12

• select, code and evaluate stimuli
• significance of experiences
• accompanied by memory biases

Question 13

how does Beck’s Cognitive Theory (1967) work?

Answer 13

• early experience
• dysfunctional attitudes/ beliefs = depressogenic schemas = cognitive triad
• severe/mild stressful events = activation of schema= conditional beliefs = cognitive distortions = NATs = depressive symptoms

Question 14

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what does Beck’s Cognitive Theory (1967) say about depressed people?

Answer 14

• depressed people have reduced positivity attributional bias
• cognitive vulnerability predicts onset and recurrence
• diathesis stress = stressful life events moderate association between cognitive vulnerability and depression

Question 15

what is the cognitive behavioural theory?

Answer 15

• our interpretation of events, and not the events themselves, determine our emotional states
• distorted or irrational thinking patterns lead to emotional problems and maladaptive behaviour – “I think, so I feel (and do)”
• these result from inaccurate or biased processing of information in the world = cognitive distortions

Question 16

what is the ABC model?

Answer 16

• activating event (actual event)
• leads to beliefs (rational/irrational evaluations)
• leads to consequences (emotions, NATs etc.)

Question 17

what is the downward arrow technique?

Answer 17

• identifying ‘deeper’ thoughts and underlying beliefs and schemas
• continuous inquiring about the meaning attributed to thoughts/actions
• therapist introduces alternative interpretations for the patient in order to challenge and restructure their thoughts

Question 18

how many/ focuses on/empirical?

what is CBT for depression?

Answer 18

• brief treatment (10/20 session)
• less focus on early life experiences, focused on here and now
• empirical in its approach - testing alternative thoughts by collecting evidence

Question 19

how does CBT work?

Answer 19

• bring depression scores back to normal (Behavioural Activation Treatment)
• identify and challenge NATs
• restructure core beliefs/schemas about the self, world and future

Question 20

does CBT work?

Answer 20

• it is effective
• but meta-analysis suggests anti-depressants are more effective than CBT

Question 21

what is mindfulness/third wave CBT?

Answer 21

• 8 weekly group sessions
• emphasis on changing awareness and individual’s relationship with their thoughts
• thoughts as ‘mental events’ = thoughts are not facts
• decentering = I am not my thoughts

Question 22

does mindfulness/third wave CBT work?

Answer 22

• mindfulness-based CBT effective
• more effective the more previous depressive episodes you have had