Cognitive treatment for depression

• Outline cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as A treatment for depression

  CBT is a talking therapy that aims to treat depression by changing client's irrational thinking into more rational ways of thinking. It begins with the therapist Identifying the patient's irrational thoughts through thought catching or by asking the patient to keep a diary record of their thoughts The next step is cognitive restructuring whereby the therapist and client discuss more accurate and helpful ways of thinking so that they can replace their irrational thoughts with healthier, rational thoughts.
• Outline cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as a treatment for depression

  This will typically involve the therapist disputing the client's irrational beliefs through logical disputing (do they make sense?), empirical disputing (is there

  any evidence to support the belief?) and pragmatic disputing (is it helpful to think that way?).

  Finally, the therapist sets the patient client-as-scientist homework tasks whereby they test and evaluate their irrationaI thoughts outside of the therapeutic

  setting so that the client can do this without the therapist once the CBT sessions have finished.
• Behavioural activation

   CBT may also involve behavioural activation (whereby patients are encouraged to engage in activities they used to enjoy) as this can raise

  their mood and lead to more positive ways of thinking.
• Strength of CBT treatment for depression - effective

  when comparing CBT to drug therapy, research has found that they are equally as effective at reducing depressive symptoms. In many cases, however, CBT was considered more appropriate because, unlike drug

  therapies, it did not produce side effects that can make clients drop out of the treatment programme. This Is a strength as it means that CBT is an effective treatment of depression that suffers from low drop-out rates. Therefore adds to effectiveness.
• Strength of CBT as a treatment for depression - idiographic approach to treatment

  This is because CBT involves the therapist

  identifying and disputing the client's unique, irrational beliefs whereas alternatives such as drug therapies are nomothetic in that most people take the same

  drug. This is a strength because it means that CBT is a more tailored treatment so can be adapted to maximise its success whereas drug therapies may not

  be effective for some people. Therefore adds to effectiveness.
• CBT not effective treatment for every case of depression

  This is because some cases of depression may be caused by biological factors such as low serotonin and so changing the way they think will not address the root cause. This Is a limitation because it suggests that

  alternative treatments such as SSRls may be more effective for people with biologically-caused depression. Therefore questions effectiveness.
• CBT as a treatment for depression is that it may not be easy to access

  CBT requires people with depression to actively

  engage in numerous talking therapy sessions over a period of time. need to complete tasks outside of their therapy sessions such as the client-

  as-scientist homework tasks. limitation - people with depression can struggle with energy and motivation and find It difficult to engage with CBT.
• Drug therapies such as SSRIs may be easier to access

  drug therapies such as SSRls may be easier to access. they can be taken at home with little effort. strength of drug therapies over CBT as it means that people with more severe depression may be better able to engage in this treatment. questions appropriateness