Cognitive Approach to depression

• What does the cognitive approach to depression propose?

  Depression involves negative thoughts, thinking patterns and schemas.

  Therefore, in terms of treating depression, the approach also suggests that, if we can change our negative thinking, then we can treat depression.
• What are the three components involved in Beck's cognitive theory of depression?


  • Faulty Information Processing
  • Negative Self-Schema
  • The Negative Triad
• What is Faulty Information Processing?

  When depressed people only pay attention to the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives - negative mental filter. They either:

  • Blow things out of proportion = Catastrophising
  • Think in 'black and white terms' = Absolutist Thinking
• What are negative self-schemas?

  Schemas are packages of idea that we have about the world, and ourself based on our experiences. People with depression have negative self-schemas, or negative views of themselves. They use their self-schemas to interpret everything about themselves in a negative way.

  • Personalisation
  • Generalisation
• What are negative triads?

  A person develops a negative view of themselves due to three different elements. These elements make up a cognitive triad. When we are depressed we have negative thoughts about the world, ourselves and the future.

  A) the world

  B) the future

  C) oneself

  
• Evaluate a strength of Beck's cognitive theory of depression?

  • P: It has supporting research evidence
  • E: Grazioli and Terry (2000) assessed pregnant women for the vulnerability of their thought patterns before & after birth. Women who had vulnerable cognitions before the birth were more likely to develop post-natal depression.
  • E: This suggests the theory has validity as this demonstrates that prior negative cognitive thinking can have an impact on the later development of depression
• Evaluate a weakness of Beck's cognitive theory of depression

  • P: It cannot explain all types of depression.
  • E: Depression is a complex illness. Cotard syndrome is an extreme form of depression where depression and psychosis overlap resulting in hallucination and bizarre beliefs.
  • E: This suggests that Beck's theory cannot easily explain such extreme emotions & variations of depression.
• What is Albert Ellis' ABC Model?


  Ellis suggested that good mental health occurs when a person has rational thoughts. Depression is due to irrational thoughts.

  Ellis defined an irrational thought as "any thoughts that interfere with us being happy or pain free". The ABC Model:

  • A = Activating event
  • B = Individual Beliefs
  • C = Consequence

  A) Activating event

  B) Activating event

  C) Consequence

  D) Consequence

  E) Rational belief

  F) Irrational belief

  
• Evaluate the strength of Ellis' ABC Model

  • P: It can explain Reactive Depression
  • E: This is when depression occurs due to a life event.
  • E: This suggests it can offer a partial explanation of depression
• Evaluate the weakness of Ellis' ABC Model

  • P: It cannot explain all types of depression
  • E: This theory cannot really explain why depression occurs for no obvious 'reason'. A person may feel depressed but no activating event has occurred.
  • E: This suggests that Ellis' theory may be too simplistic.
• Evaluate the strength of the cognitive approach to depression overall

  • P: There are practical applications of both cognitive explanations
  • E: CBT is one of the most widely used treatments for depression and is found to have high rates of success, which suggests the theory behind the treatment is valid.
  • This suggests that it can improve the living conditions of sufferers.
• Evaluate the weakness of the cognitive approach to depression overall

  • P: Cognitive explanations have ethical issues
  • E: This theory suggests that depression is due to the patient and how they think about situations. It ignores the fact that there may be something distressing in the environment that might be difficult to change.
  • E: This suggests the explanation may result in patients feeling guilty for their depression, worsening their condition.
• What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?

  If depression is caused by faulty & irrational thoughts, negative schemas, the treatments can try to challenge the thought processes. Once the thought processes are challenged. behaviour will change too.
• What are the four steps involved in Cognitive behavioural Therapy?

  • Step 1: Assessment - the patient and therapist identify the problem.
  • Step 2: Identify goals - what are the negative thoughts we are trying to overcome
  • Step 3: Change the thoughts
  • step 4: Put positive behaviours in place
• Explain CBT with reference to Beck’s cognitive triad 


  Beck developed a therapy to challenge the negative triad (beliefs) of the client.
• What are the steps involved in CBT: Beck’s cognitive triad? 


  • Client will be assessed to discover the severity of their condition & the therapist will establish a baseline to help monitor improvement
  • Client is asked to provide information about how they perceive: the world, themselves, and the future
  • Therapist will use reality testing and they ask the client to demonstrate their ability to succeed.
• What is behavioural activation?

  A technique that helps people with depression engage in more positive activities and make sustained life changes.
• How does the ABC model extend to the ABCDE model?

  Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) extends the ABC model to an ABCDE model .

  • D = Dispute (challenge the thoughts)
  • E = Effect (see a more beneficial effect on thought and behaviour)

  Therefore, the central technique of REBT is to identify and dispute the patients irrational thoughts.
• How does Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy challenge the client?

  • Empirical Disputing: Is your demand consistent with reality?
  • Logical Disputing: Does it logically flow that you can base your whole self upon one part of yourself?
  • Pragmatic Disputing: What are the consequences of this negative belief?
• Evaluate a weakness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

  • P: It does not work for severe cases
  • E: Patients must be motivated to want to get better and engage with the therapist. For those with severe depression, they may lack this energy/motivation. They may not even be able to concentrate during a session
  • E: This suggests that CBT is only effective for certain cases of depression and that drugs may still be important in the treatment of many cases.
• Evaluate a weakness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

  • P: Success can be influenced by the therapist-patient relationship
  • E: All therapies rely on a good relationship between them. It may be patients benefit from simply having someone neutral to talk to, rather than the actual therapy itself.
  • E: This suggests that it may not be the actual process of CBT that is effective but simply communication. Likewise, this also means that the treatment may not be suitable or accessible for all patients who struggle with communication.
• How does Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) work?

  • REBT is used to identify and dispute the patients irrational thoughts
  • Ellis (1962) - argues that irrational thoughts are the main cause of all types of emotional distress and behaviour disorders.
  • REBT is based on the premise that whenever we become upset, it is not the events taking place in our lives that upset us
  • Ellis believed that irrational beliefs make impossible demands on the individual, leading to anxiety, failure, and psychological difficulty.