Depression-EVAL treatment

Question 1

A strength of CBT as a treatment of depression is that it is EFFECTIVE

Answer 1

Evidence suggests CBT is EFFECTIVE in treating depression. Compared effects of CBT with anti-depressant drugs and a combo of both in adults.

After 36 weeks, 81% of CBT groups and an ti-depressant groups, and 86% of both together showed great IMPROVEMENT. CBT is jsut as effective as medication and helpful ALONGSIDE meds.

Therefore, CBT is a successful treatment of depression as it has the SAME effective rate as MEDICATION for depression.

Best use in COMBO

Question 2

A limitation of CBT as a treatment of depression is that it may not work for SEVERE cases of depression

Answer 2

Some cases are so severe they can’t be MOTIVATED for the hard cognitive work required for CBT. When this happens it’s possible to treat them with drugs and start CBT when they’re more ALERT and CAN take the hard work of CBT.

Problem as it means CBT can’t be used as the SOLE treatment for ALL causes of depression and should be used in COMBO with other therapies.

Question 3

One limitation of CBT treating depression is that some patients want to explore their PAST.

Answer 3

But the basic principles of CBT is that the patients focus on the PRESENT and FUTURE rather than their past. In some psychotherpaies, patients do make links between childhood experiences and current depression.

So, the ‘present focus.’ basis of CBT may IGNORE important aspects of a patients past experiences and some patients may feel that they aren’t EXPLORING all aspects of what could be CAUSING depression. Therefore LIMITING cbt as a therapy for treating depression.

Question 4

Another limitation of using CBT is that there may be an OVER-emphasis on cognition (Machine reductionism)

Answer 4

CBT may reduce the importance of the circumstances in which the patient is LIVING. E.g. a patient living in poverty needs to change their circumstances and CBT focuses on the patients MIND rather than their environment.

Therefore, CBT techniques being used inappropriately can AVOID combating environmental issues by just focusing on cognitions and therefore may LIMIT effectiveness of CBT As a therapy for treating depression,

Question 5

other limitations of CBT as a cognitive treatment for depression:

Answer 5

• success may depend more on the quality of the patient-therapist relationship
• relies on patient self-reporting their thoughts – unreliable and difficult to verify