cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression

• Beck's cognitive triad (1967)

  a person develops a dysfunctional view of themselves because three different types of negative thinking that occur automatically, regardless of the reality of what is happening at the time

  the three elements are: a negative view of the world, the future and self

  this pessimistic view becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and leads to cognitive bias
• Beck's cognitive triad evaluation strengths

  the cognitive triad is analysed with therapists during CBT to help the individual with depression, it challenges irrational views

  support research - Grazioli and Terry (2000) - found that women (65 women showed this) were more likely to have post-natal depression screened for cognitive vulnerability
• Beck's cognitive triad evaluation limitations

  partial explanation as there are some aspects of depression that are not particularly well explained by the cognitive explanation as some depresses people feel extreme violence and anger and some experience hallucinations and delusions that cannot be solved using the triad
• Ellis' ABC model

  proposed that depression occurs when an activating event (A) triggers an irrational belief (B) which in turn produces a consequence (C)
• Ellis' ABC model evaluation strengths

  is has a practical application to CBT as it allows us to change their mind set and start functioning with their life again
• Ellis' ABC model evaluation limitations

  only explains reactive depression as many cases of depression are not traceable to a life event and is not obvious what leads the person to be depressed - endogenous depression, it is a limited explanation as there may not be an activating event that has caused this and doesn't look at the biological aspects
• cognitive behavioural therapy

  a method for treating mental disorders based on both cognitive and behavioural techniques, aims to deal with thinking such as challenging negative thoughts
• Beck's CBT

  CBT focuses on challenging the negative thoughts about oneself, the world and the future, they might be given tasks to do like recording when they enjoyed an event or people were nice to them
• Ellis' CBT

  extends the ABC model and adds disputing (D) and effects (E)

  disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs and encourages the client to think of alternative explanations or possibilities

  effects of the new beliefs and attitudes that emerge, generally positive thoughts
• CBT evaluation strengths

  effective with research support - March (2007)- compared the effects of CBT with antidepressants and a combination of the two

  after 36 weeks 81% CBT group were equally improved as the antidepressants 81% and combined 86% showing that CBT is just effective
• CBT evaluation limitations

  CBT may not work for the most severe cases and as cause the patient to be demotivated and wont be able to engage with CBT