Cognitive treatments for depression

• What does CBT stand for?

  Cognitive behavioural therapy
• What is CBT used to treat?

  Depression and other mental health issues
• What is done at the beginning of CBT?

  An assessment in which the client and therapist work together to identify the clients problems

  They jointly identify goals for the therapy and a plan of how to achieve them
• Cognitive element of CBT

  One of the central tasks is to identify where there may be irrational or negative thoughts that need challenging
• Behavioural element of CBT


  Involves working to change the negative and irrational thoughts and put more effective behaviours into place
• Whose theory is CBT based on?

  Beck
• What is the idea of cognitive behavioural therapy?

  Identify automatic negative thoughts about the world, future and self
• What happens in CBT after automatic thoughts are identified?

  They are challenged by disputing The reality is tested
• Why is CBT sometimes referred to as the "client scientist"?

  Clients are investigating the reality of their negative beliefs
• What does REBT stand for?

  Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
• Who came up with REBT?

  Ellis
• What does REBT extend the ABC model to?

  ABCDE
• In REBT what does D stand for?

  Dispute
• In REBT what does E stand for?

  Effect
• What is the central technique of REBT?

  Identify and dispute irrational thoughts
• What would a REBT therapist identify negative thoughts as an example of?

  Utopianism
• What is the intended outcome of REBT?


  To change the irrational belief and so break the link between negative life events and depression
• Ellis' two types of disputing

  • Empirical argument
  • Logical argument
• REBT - what is empirical argument?


  Involves disputing whether there is evidence to support the negative belief
• REBT - what is logical argument?

  Involves disputing whether the negative thought logically follows from the facts
• REBT - What is behavioural action?

  To work with depressed individuals to gradually decrease their avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities that have been shown to improve mood
• Strengths of CBT

  • Evidence supporting its effectiveness
  • Can be suitable for severe depression and learning difficulties
• Why is "Evidence supporting its effectiveness" a strength of CBT?

  March et al. found that CBT significantly improved the mental health of 327 adolescents with depression, compared to antidepressant drugs and a combination of both. After 36 weeks, 81% of the CBT group, 81% of the antidepressant group, and 86% of the combined group showed significant improvement. CBT's brief, cost-effective nature, taking only 6 to 12 sessions, makes it a popular choice for public health care systems.
• Why is "Can be suitable for severe depression and learning difficulties" a strength of CBT?

  A review by Lewis and Lewis concluded CBT was as effective as antidepressant drugs and behavioural therapies for severe depression Taylor et al concluded that, when used appropriately CBT is effective for people with learning disabilities This means CBT may be suitable for a wider range of people than was once thought
• Limitations of CBT

  • Lack of effectiveness for severe cases and clients with learning disabilities
  • Not effective long term
• Why is "not effective long term" a limitation of CBT?

  • Although CBT is effective in tackling the symptoms of depression there are some concerns about how long the benefits last
  • Ali et al assessed depression in 439 clients every month for 12 months following a course of CBT
  • They found after 6 months 42% of clients had relapsed into depression, and 53% after 12 months
  • Means that CBT is a short term solution with no long lasting effects and may require top up session