Treatments Of Depression Flashcards
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques. From the cognitive viewpoint the therapy deals with thinking, such as challenging negative thoughts. There are also behavioural elements.
CBT begins with an assessment in which the patient and the therapist work together to clarify the patient’s problems. They jointly identify goals for the therapy and put together a plan to achieve them. Negative or irrational thoughts are identified so that they can be challenged and replaced by more effective behaviours.
Becks CBT
The aim is to identify automatic thoughts about the world, self, and future (negative triad).
Once identified the thoughts are challenged.
As well as challenging these thoughts directly, CBT aims to help patients test the reality of their negative beliefs. For this reason, patients are given homework (‘patient as scientist approach’) which may be used in future sessions by the therapist to disprove negative automatic thoughts.
what might the patient be asked as part of their homework?
They might be asked to record when they enjoyed an event or when people were nice to them, breathing exercises, journaling about distressing thoughts
Ellis’ rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)
This aims to turn irrational thoughts into rational thoughts and resolve emotional and behaviour problems. It was expanded to ABCDEF. D is disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs. E is the effects of disputing and effective attitude to life. F is the new feelings that are produced.
REBT focuses on a vigorous argument to dispute irrational thoughts and replacing them with effective rational thoughts and beliefs which produce new feelings. There are different
methods for dispute including the logical argument and the empirical argument.
What is an empirical argument?
It involves disputing whether there is actual evidence to support the negative belief
(This could be done by using objective evidence or the patients hw)
What is a logical argument?
It involves disputing whether the negative thought logically follows from the facts (questioning the logic behind their thoughts)
Behavioural activation
Behavioural activation is also used in CBT. This involves encouraging a patient to be more active and engage in enjoyable activities. This will provide more evidence for the irrational nature of the beliefs. It’s a proactive way of breaking the vicious cycle of depression to increase our level of activity.(self reinforcing)
