AO3

• Stregnth - The view that depression is linked to irrational thinking is supported by research. Krantz (1976) found depressed participants made more errors in logic when asked to interpret written material than non-depressed participants.Boury et al. (2001) monitored students' negative thoughts with the BDI, finding that depressives misinterpret facts and experiences in a negative fashion and feel hopeless about the future, giving support to Beck's cognitive explanation.
• • Real life application – CBT has been successful in treating people with depression (Ellis 90%)
• Stregnth and weakness - Blames the client rather than situational factors. This can give the client the power to change, or it can be more detrimental. The therapist could overlook situational factors that are affecting the mental disorder (such as life events or family problems).
• Are all irrational beliefs irrational - ‘Sadder but wiser effect’: depressed people can give more accurate estimates of the likelihood of a disaster (Alloy and Abrahmson, 1979)
• Alternative explanations—such as the biological approach, low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression. Successful drug treatments suggest depression is a result in some part from our biology