Treatments

• Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

  Most common form of treatment in NHS. People have ~15 50 minute sessions. Aims to set goals and identify negative automatic thoughts
• CBT is..


  • goal oriented - tasks given to support recovery

  • highly structured - specific problems and goals discussed

  • focused on current problems - how your feeling now

  • helpful afterward - techniques on how to support yourself taught
• Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)


  Aims to identify, challenge and dispute irrational thoughts. Rigourous argument to change the irrational belief - break the link between negative life events and depression
• Ellis' model (treatment):


  Dispute

  Effect

  (Feelings)
• Types of disputes 


  1. Empirical, examines evidence for negative thoughts
  2. Logical, challenges of negative thoughts logically follow facts
  3. Pragmatic, assessing whether negative thoughts make situations better or worse
• Behavioural Activation in CBT

  Depression = gradual avoidance of difficult situations, and isolation (maintains/worsens symptoms)

  Goal is to increase engagement in activities shown to improve mood
• Cognitive Therapy (CT) 


  Identify negative automatic thoughts. These often CHALLENGED and changed into rational thoughts (thought-catching). Tasks may be set to help clients see the reality of their positive/negative beliefs (reality-catching)
• CT techniques:


  • dysfunctional thought diaries

  • homework tasks - test negative automatic thoughts

  • participate in pleasurable activities
• CT 


  Client is the scientist, investigating the reality of their negative beliefs. In future sessions, the therapist can present this evidence to prove the client's statements are incorrect
• Irrational thoughts = dysfunctional thoughts
• ✅ cognitive treatments depression

  Real life application in the NHS and therapies
• ❌ cognitive treatment depression 


  Time consuming (session and recovery). Varying experience
• ❌ cognitive treatment depression

  Only deals with symptoms not root cause, however provided techniques to support people for the future, empowerment by showing they have control over their thoughts
• ❌ cognitive treatment depression

  Clients may become attached to their therapist, overanalyse
• ❌ cognitive treatment depression 


  People need to be willing to change and not forced into the therapy for it to be effective
• Alternative treatments for depression

  • drug therapy

  • SSRI - antidepressants