The cognitive approach to treating Depression

• What are the cognitive approaches to treating depression?

  Both Beck's CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and Ellis's REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy) attempt to change negative schemas and challenge irrational thoughts through cognitive restructuring
• What is Beck's Cognitive Therapy?

  Beck's CBT:

  -Patient as a scientist = The patient generates and tests

  hypotheses about the validity of their irrational thoughts;

  when they realise their thoughts don't match reality, this will

  change their schemas, and the irrational thoughts can be

  discarded.

  -Thought catching = identifying irrational thoughts coming from

  the negative triad of schemas.

  -Homework tasks = include keeping a diary, which is used to

  record negative thoughts and identify situations that cause

  negative thinking.

  -Behavioural activation = Taking part in activities that the

  sufferer used to enjoy (e.g. sports, travelling or socialising)
• What is Ellis's Cognitive Therapy?

  Ellis's REBT

  Rational emotive behaviour therapy: development of the ABC model, adding D for dispute and E for effect.

  -Dispute: the therapist confronting the client's irrational

  beliefs.

  --Empirical arguments challenge the client to provide evidence for their irrational beliefs,

  --While logical arguments attempt to show that the beliefs don't make sense.

  -Effect: reduction of irrational thoughts (restructured beliefs B)

  leading to better consequences (C) in the future.
• What are Shame attacking exercises - Ellis's REBT?

  Shame attacking exercises:

  -The client to perform a behaviour they fear doing in front of others.

  -This shows the client they can act against their emotions and cope with an unpleasant experience, and they can survive other people's disapproval. And actually, most people don't notice or care

  about our actions
• Evaluation - Effective

  -One strength of CBT is that it is effective in treating depression:

  -This means that CBT has generally done well in outcome studies. For example, March et al (2007) found CBT was just as effective as drugs in treating depression.

  -This is positive as it seems to work in most cases of depression.
• Evaluation - Impractical

  -However, CBT may be criticised for being impractical:

  -This means that CBT does require patients to engage with hard work in order for it to work which is more disruptive to patients' lives than some other therapies.

  -For example, drugs allow patients to reduce their symptoms without having to engage with any such hard work.

  -This is negative as many doctors and patients favour drugs for these reasons.