the cugnitive approach to treating depression Flashcards
(14 cards)
what’s the most commonly used psychological treatment for depression?
CBT
cognitive behavioural therapy
What is the cognitive element of CBT?
identifying where there might be negative or irrational thoughts that will benefit from a challenge
What is the behavioural element of CBT?
working to change negative and irrational thoughts and putting more effective behaviours into place
What is cognitive therapy?
The application of Beck’s cognitive theory of depression
What was the idea behind cognitive therapy?
To identify automatic thoughts about the world, future and the self - negative triad
what’s the central component of therapy?
challenging thoughts
How does cognitive therapy helps clients?
By testing the reality of their negative beliefs - may be set homework such as recording when they enjoyed an event or when people were nice to them.
what does the DE in Ellis’ ABCDE model stand for?
D - dispute
E - effect
What is the central technique of REBT?
identify and dispute irrational thoughts
What is the intended effect?
To change the irrational belief and so break the link between negative life events and depression
What is the goal of behavioural activism?
To work with depressed individuals to gradually decrease their avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities shown to improve mood
evaluation point: evidence for effectiveness
March et al compared CBT to antidepressant drugs as well as a combination of both when treating depressed adolescents and found that after 36 weeks 81% of the CBT group and 81% of the antidepressants group significantly improved compared to 86% of the CBT and antidepressants group therefore CBT is just as effective as antidepressants.
evaluation: suitability for diverse clients
Sturmey suggests any form of psychotherapy is not suitable for people with learning difficulties this includes CBT as well as the fact that some clients can’t motivate themselves to engage with CBT which means it might not be appropriate for a specific range of people with depression.
evaluation: relapse rates
Ali et al assessed depression in 439 clients for every month for 12 months following a course of CBT and found that 42% relapsed into depression within 6 months of ending treatment and 53% relapsed within a year high relapse rates which raises concerns over how long the benefits of CBT last.
