depression

• emotional symptoms of depression

  sadness

  anger

  guilt

  hopelessness
• behavioural symptoms of depression

  social withdrawal

  lack of energy

  low motivation

  poor concentration

  sleep problems

  significant appetite change
• cognitive symptoms of depression

  poor self esteem

  loss of interest

  thoughts of suicide
• what is the cognitive explanation for depression

  thoughts effect your emotions and behaviours

  depression is caused by irrational thinking
• what is the ABC model

  a - is the activating event such as a failed exam

  b - is your belief system

  c - is the consequences such as depression

  the way we process the events changes the consequences so if we have a good belief system we will have a different reaction whereas a irrational thoughts (poor belief system) leads to depression
• what is musterbation

  a term used to describe the phenomenon whereby people live by a set of absolute and unrealistic demands they place on themselves,others and the world
• what are the 3 musts that eilis believes hold us back

  I must do well

  you must treat me well

  the world must be easy
• utopianism

  irrational belief that the world is always fair
• how to dispute b and change consequences when treating depression

  logical disputing

  imperial disputing - uses evidence

  pragmatic disputing - showing that their belief system isn't helpful

  this creates d which is a way changing the consequences
• what is Becks cognitive theory of depression

  schema of selfworth is the most important schema

  parents are most important for developing this schema

  if they highlight success + encourage you = good schema of self worth develops

  not supported= poor schema of self worth
• what is the cognitive triad

  we have schemas about self,place in the world and prospects in the future

  they are all linked so if you have a poor self worth you have a poor future and view of place in the world
• how does the low self worth effect depression

  low self worth causes reactions to an activating event not the actual depression

  it give us a predisposition from childhood that makes us more vulnerable to later negative events
• how does the triad of schemas perpetuate depression

  when the triad is activated you will automatically ignore anything that goes against your negative thoughts

  this perpetuates depression
• what is magnification and minimisation

  depressed people magnify failures and minimise sucess
• selective abstraction

  when faced with negative events the person with depression will pick the most personally negative explanation
• arbitrary interference

  you make a negative conclusion about yourself with nothing to support it
• 3 types of illogical thinking

  magnification and minimisation

  selective abstraction

  arbitrary inference
• weakness of cognitive explanation for depression

  correlation doesn't show causation

  • you can't say which causes which
  • irrational thinking may be the effect of depression not the cause
  • can't identify the causes as all depressed patient have both
• strength of cognitive explanation for depression

  grazoli and Terry

  • found that those with negative thoughts in a group of people with a higher risk of depression (pregnant women) were the most likely to get it
  • proved cause and effect
  • negative thinking causes depression
• strength of cognitive explanation of depression

  can be applied to real world

  • CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy
  • therapy that works on the principle that if you can change the way people think you can change how they act / feel
• weakness of cognitive explanation for depression

  reductionist reduced depression down to irrational thinking ignores other explanations eg biological explations such as low serotonin
• weakness of cognitive explanation for depression

  deterministic

  • determines that those with bad childhoods have are predispositioned go get depression
  • not true mauby people don't get depression/people with good also get it
• weakness of cognitive explanation for depression

  incomplete explanation

  • the idea that irrational thoughts cause depression and it's symptoms doesn't explain anger/mania
• weakness of cognitive explanation for depression

  depressive realism

  • negative thinking is a realistic view if the world in some situations
  • so they aren't thinking irrationally it's just normal
  • it's abnormal to think normally in that situation
• treatment of depression

  CBT

  • change the way people think
  • we show people when they are having irrational thoughts
• what is REBT

  when you dispute the irrational thoughts to create a dispute belief system
• 3 types of disputing

  logical

  empirical

  pragmatic
• process of CBT to treat depression

  patient as therapist

  keep a note of evidence to support/contradicts the patients own negative thinking

  pateint gathers it do they become involved in the therapy
• thought catching

  depression treatment

  getting the patient to catch the though that triggers negative emotions

  question and replace the thought

  can do this by keeping a thought diary
• behavioural activation

  getting the patient to perform 1 positive activity each day

  these create more positive emotions
• thought diary

  write down negative thoughts

  rate them

  question and replace
• evaluation of CBT to treat depression

  + more effective in long term than other treatment

  • treats underlying causes
  • identifies irrational thinking
  • gives techniques to challenge
  • active whereas drugs are passive and only treat symptoms

  not suitable for all

  - those who are severely depressed many not have motivation or energy to engage

  nay not feel comfortable in therapy as well
• What does the acronym BINDREAMS stand for in psychology?

  Bias, Idiographic, Nature, Determinism, Reductionism, Evidence, Applications, Methodology, Scientific
• What are the key components of the cognitive explanation of depression?

  • Negative thinking patterns
  • Cognitive vulnerability
  • Practical applications like CBT
• What did Grazioli & Terry (2000) study?

  They assessed cognitive vulnerability in pregnant women
• What was the finding of Grazioli & Terry's study regarding cognitive vulnerability?

  Women with high vulnerability were likely to suffer post-natal depression
• What does the identification of cognitive vulnerability before depression suggest?

  Faulty thinking may cause depression
• What practical application has arisen from the cognitive approach to depression?

  Cognitive behavioural therapies like REBT
• What aspect of depression does the cognitive approach not explain?

  Anger or manic episodes in bipolar disorder
• What is a criticism of the cognitive approach regarding its explanation of depression?

  It is reductionist and ignores other explanations