Biological factors like imbalances in biochemistry might be a more scientific explanation for depression.
The cognitive explanation ignores any biological factors that might be causing depression.
Cohen et al (2019) concluded that screening young people for cognitive vulnerability can help reduce the risk of depression in the future.
There is an association between cognitive vulnerability and depression.
Cohen et al (2019) tracked the development of 473 adolescents and found cognitive vulnerability predicted later depression.
Clark & Beck (1999) suggest that cognitive vulnerabilities are more common in depressed individuals.
CBT attempts to identify and challenge negative, irrational thoughts and has been used successfully to treat people with depression.
One strength of the cognitive explanation for depression is its application to therapy (CBT).
Boury et al (2001) found that patients with depression were more likely to misinterpret information negatively (cognitive bias) and feel hopeless about their future (negative triad), which supports Beck’s theory.