Cognitive approach to Depression

• Cognitive model of abnormality concentrates on thoughts and beliefs
• Irrational beliefs cause abnormal behaviours
• Strengths of cognitive explanation for OCD

  • Offers useful approach as it considers roles of thoughts and beliefs
  • Harrell and Ryon found depressed participants scored higher for negative questions than non-dperessed participants
  • Cognitive therapies successfully treated depression
• Negatives of cognitive explanation for depression

  • Faulty cognitions could be because of depression not a causation
  • Person could feel blamed for being depressed