Cognitive explanation

• Characteristics

  Behavioural- low activity levels, disruption to eating, aggression/self harm

  Emotional- lower mood, anger, lowered self esteem

  Cognitive- poor concentration, dwelling on the negative, absolutist thinking
• depression is characterised by changes in mood

  The cognitive explanation explains depression as faulty thinking
• becks negative Triad

  Faulty information processing - more biased to negative interpretations of events, people and self

  Negative self schema - negative mental representation of self

  Negative Triad- negative view of self future and world
• Ellis ABC model

  activating event, beliefs, consequences

  Event trigger beliefs, when depressed negative events, trigger irrational belief, and these lead to negative consequences like withdrawal
• The strength of becks negative triad is supporting research

  cognitive vulnerability refers to a way of thinking that may predispose a person to becoming depressed

  In a review, psychologists concluded that not only with these cognitive vulnerability is more common in depressed people, but they preceded the depression

  473. Adolescence were tracked and their cognitive vulnerability was regularly measured, it was found that showing cognitive vulnerability predicted later depression.
• another strength of becks negative Triad and Ellis ABC model, is it application in screening and treating for depression

  Assessing cognitive vulnerability allows psychologist to screen young people and identify those most at risk of developing depression. Understanding. Cognitive vulnerability can also be applied in cognitive behaviour therapy, these work by altering the reaction to negative events
• Is a limitation of ellis ABC model of depression, is that it only explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression

  depression is often triggered by life events. This is called reactive depression. However, many cases of depression are not traceable to life events and it’s not obvious what leads the person to become depressed At a particular time. This type of depression is called endogenous depression.

  this means it’s only a partial explanation of depression
• A limitation of the cognitive explanation of depression is it’s reductionist

  Although cognitive factors do play a role in depression, it ignores biological factors

  The neurotransmitter serotonin is believed to play a key role in depression, because drugs that increase serotonin are an effective way of treating depression