Treating depression cognitive approach

• One method of treating depression is CBT COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
• ( CBT) it aims to challenge negative thoughts By thinking about yourself, the world and other people and how what you do affects your thoughts and feelings. A technique called Behavioural activation encourages patients to engage in those activities they are avoiding and decrease isolation and increase engagement in activities.
• Becks cognitive therapy aims to help patients identify their negative thoughts in relation to themselves the world their future using Becks negative triad. The patient and therapist then work together, to challenge these irrational thoughts by discussing for and against them
• The patient will be encouraged to test the validity of their negative thoughts and be set homework to challenge and test their negative thoughts
• Ellis rationional emotive behaviour therapy ( REBT) extension of the ABC model D stands for dispute negative thoughts the therapist will challenge their beliefs by asking for evidence of their reality and address how this can be changed. E stands for effect effective beliefs replace irrational ones to minimise depressive beliefs due to more positive consequences
• Different types of disputes which can be used 1) Logical dispute – where the therapist questions the logic of a person’s thoughts, for example: ‘does the way you think about that situation make any sense?’ 2) Empirical dispute – where the therapists seeks evidence for a person’s thoughts, for example: ‘where is the evidence that your beliefs are true?’ 3) Pragmatic dispute: Pragmatic disputes are aimed at showing the client that the irrational belief she holds is not helpful. “How does it help you to believe that you need a man?
• Following a session, the therapist may set their patient homework. The idea is that the patient identifies their own irrational beliefs and then proves them wrong. As a result, their beliefs begin to change. For example, someone who is anxious in social situations may be set a homework assignment to meet a friend for a drink.
• Model answer

  CBT aims to change negative thinking (such as Amy’s friends not liking her). This can be done in several ways. Through REBT, Amy could firstly be taught the ABC model to help her understand her irrational thoughts. The therapist then disputes Amy’s irrational beliefs and helps her to see that they are indeed irrational. For example, they might ask Amy for the evidence that her friends don’t like her. It might demonstrate that whenever she actually sends a text message her friends always reply straight away.
• This may then change her beliefs to those that are more rational. Amy may be asked to identify her irrational thoughts (her friends not liking her). Amy should then generate a hypothesis to test the validity of her negative thoughts. For example, ‘none of my friends like me’. The therapist would then set Amy homework tasks to complete in order to test this hypothesis whereby she may text them first to see if they would like to spend time with her. These positive thoughts are reinforced by the therapist that the hypothesis testing led to.
• This then leads to cognitive restructuring whereby the negative thoughts are now modified based on these steps.