Explaining depression (cognitive)

• P: The view that depression is linked to irrational thinking is supported by research.

  E: Hammen and Krantz found that depressed participants made more errors in logic when asked to interpret written material than did non-depressed participants. Bates found that depressed participants who were given negative automatic-thought statements became more and more depressed

  L: This research supports the view that negative thinking leads to depression, although this link does not mean that negative thoughts cause depression. Instead, negative thinking may develop because of their depression.
• P: The cognitive approach suggests that it is the client who is responsible for their disorder.

  E: This is a good thing because it gives the client the power to change the way things are. However, this has limitations. It may lead the client or therapist to overlook situational factors, for example not considering how life events or family problems may have contributed to the mental disorder.

  L: The strength of the cognitive approach therefore lies in its focus on the client's mind and recovery, but other aspects of the client's environment and life may also need to be considered.
• P: One evaluation point for any theory is the consideration of whether it can be usefully applied.

  E: The cognitive explanations presented here have both been applied to CBT, as you will see on the next spread. CBT is consistently found to be the best treatment for depression, especially when used in conjunction with drug treatments.

  L: The usefulness of CBT as a therapy supports the effectiveness of the cognitive approach - if depression is alleviated by challenging irrational thinking, then this suggests such thoughts had a role in the depression in the first place.