Psychopathology Flashcards
(99 cards)
What is Ellis’s cognitive explanation of depression (1962)?
- Irrational thinking is the root cause of maintaining a depressed state
- Ellis sees activating as the trigger for depressive episodes
What are the behavioural characteristics associated with depression?
- Lethargy
- Aggression and self-harm
- Loss of libido
- Change in sleeping patterns
- Withdrawal from work, school and social aspects
- Disruption to eating patterns
- Reduced activity
What are the emotional characteristics associated with depression?
- Loss of feeling of pleasure
- Social confidence loss
- Empty feeling
- Irritability
- Aggression
- Lowered mood
- Anger
- Lowered self esteem
What are the cognitive characteristics associated with depression?
- Hypochondria
- Absolute thinking
- Memory impairment
- Highly repetitive negative thinking
- Concentration difficulties
How do Beck and Ellis’s theories compare?
Beck: Causes occur during childhood Phase one - negative triad Phase two - automatic negative thoughts and negative behaviours Phase three - a triggering event occurs Ellis: Causes occur after an event Phase one - activating events Phase two - beliefs/irrational thoughts Phase three – consequences
What evidence is there for depression?
Grazioli and Terry (2000) assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth. They found that women judged to have been high in cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer post-natal depression.
Clark and Beck (1999) reviewed research and concluded that there was solid support. Critically, these cognitions can be seen before depression develops, suggesting that Beck may be right about cognition causing depression.
What is critical evidence for Ellis’s theory?
- It only applies to some kinds of depression because depression is different for different people
- It doesn’t explain the anger associated with depression, and it doesn’t explain why people have hallucinations and delusions
What is supporting evidence for Ellis’s theory?
It has led to successful therapy
What are consequences?
Activating event triggers irrational belief. This produces emotional and behavioural consequences.
What are activating events?
Irrational thoughts triggered by external events
What are the key aspects of Ellis’s theory?
- Activating events
- Beliefs and emotions
- Consequences
What are beliefs?
A range of irrational beliefs
What are the features of cognitive behaviour therapy?
- 20 sessions over 16 weeks
- It teaches clients to think and challenge their negative thoughts and perceptions
What are the key aspects/features of cognitive behaviour therapy?
- Behavioural activation
- Graded task assignment
- Negative thought capturing
What is behavioural activation?
- Clients discuss activities that give pleasure
- They investigate the barriers to engaging with these activities
What is graded task assignment?
- Clients develop goals which are increasingly demanding to complete for homework
- Aim to test reality of negative beliefs e.g. record enjoying an event
What is negative thought capturing?
- Recognising and challenging negative/irrational thoughts
- The therapist actively challenges
- It helps the client to develop more rational thoughts
What are the stages of Ellis’s rational emotive behaviour therapy?
A - Activating events B - Beliefs and emotions C - Consequences of beliefs D - Debating and disputing beliefs E - Effective/helpful beliefs F - Functional emotions and behaviours
What is the stage of debating and disputing beliefs?
- When the patient believes they are permanently unlucky
- The therapist would challenge as an irrational belief
- Opportunity for vigorous debate
- Provides evidence which contradicts the patients irrational beliefs
What is the stage of effective/helpful beliefs?
- Challenging and changing the irrational belief, the link between negative life events and depression is broken
- Healthier beliefs can therefore be incorporated
What is the stage of functional emotional and behaviours?
These beliefs should lead to healthier behaviours which will ensure a greater sense of happiness and well being.
What are the two behavioural treatments for phobias?
- Flooding
- Systematic desensitisation
What is systematic desensitisation?
The method whereby counter-conditioning is used to unlearn the maladaptive response to a situation of object, by eliciting another response (relaxation).
What are the three critical components to systematic desensitisation?
- Anxiety hierarchy
- Relaxation hierarchy
- Exposure