suggests that it is all down to faultyinformationprocessing. - selective attention to negatives
depressed patients had a negative self-schema (process of information about oneself)
cognitivevulnerability, way of thinking that might be more likely to expose someone to depression - almost always lead to depression
evaluation of beck's cognitive triad:
strength:
Terry (2000), assessed 65 pregnant women for cognitivevulnerability and depression - found that women who suffered more from cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer postnataldepression
practical value, forms a basis of CBT as each aspect of the triad can be easily identified
weakness:
cannot explain why some people feel extremely angry if they have depression - some people suffer with hallucinations
Ellis' ABC model: suggesting that depression was the result of irrational thoughts.
an activatingevent may be trauma, loss or grief, illness. This event triggers and slowly forms depression as underlying issues
the person then has either irrational or rational beliefs
finally, they will either face positive or negative consequences dependent on their beliefs
they may develop musterbatory thinking, a type of irrational thinking that involves rigid expectation for oneself or others
Ellis' ABC model evaluation:
strengths:
application to therapy, used to develop treatments for depression - CBT. - identify thoughts and treat people with depression
Bates (1999) found that patients with depression who were given negative automatic thought statements became more depressed - negative thinking leads to depression
weakness:
alternative explanation - biological element
does not explain origin of irrational thoughts, unable to determine if these thoughts cause depression or if depression causes these thoughts
CBT; cognitive treatment for depression
Homework – the patient investigates the reality of their irrational negative beliefs. This can be through keeping a diary, being given a task to complete, or to record evidence.
Behaviouralaction – the patient is encouraged to engage in pleasurable activities. – there are attempts to reduce avolition symptoms (avolition meaning lack of motivation or desire to participate in goal-orientated activities/ behaviours).
Unconditionalpositiveregard – the therapist convinces the patient of their value as a human being.
evaluation of CBT:
strengths
come in a range of formations - online,facetoface, apps,groups, making it mort suitable for patients needs and is adaptable
cost-effective
weakness:
requires commitment and motivation to engage with the therapy - problematic with those who have severe depression
relies on patients recording their thoughts and feelings - may not be honest and may downplay their thoughts - difficult to verify and may reduce effectiveness of the therapy
OCD: an obsessive-compulsive disorder that involves repetitive behaviour and obsessive thoughts
OCD
behavioural characteristics:
compulsions, repetition of specific acts to reduce anxiety, handwashing, counting and repeating phrases
avoidance - removing yourself from the presence of triggering events to help reduce anxiety
cognitive characterstics:
obsessivethoughts - reoccurring thoughts that are unpleasant towards others or yourself - linked with contamination of their environment
cognitive coping strategies - ways of dealing with their obsessions - counting,meditation
insight - awareness behaviour is not rational, become very aware of their surroundings
OCD
emotional characteristics:
anxiety - repetitive behaviour that can be considered overwhelming
depression - low mood and a lackofenjoyment when carrying out small task
guilt and disgust - developed irrational thoughts over small issues
neural mechanisms: suggesting OCD is linked to the imbalanced levels of serotonin and dopamine.
serotonin - contributes to our overall well-being and enjoyment in life, helping the sleep cycle and digestive regulation - controlling our moods
dopamine - contributes to our own feelings of pleasure, repetition of behaviours can help the release of dopamine - controlling our pleasure
low levels of serotonin = linked with OCD because it leads to anxiety, obsessions
dopamine could possibly be released due to repetitivecompulsions
PET scans; have showed that people with OCD have an increased amount of anxiety in the orbitofrontal cortex - OFC
worrycircuit: the OFC identifies any worries, sending a worry signal to the caudatenucleus. From here, it filters the worry and determines whether it's a fear or not.
This needs serotonin to function properly, otherwise the efficiency may affected - without serotonin, the worry passes through and sends it into the thalamus.
As a result, the thalamus then becomes overwhelmed as it cannot determine whether the worry is a minor or major issue.
treating OCD:
drugtherapy, aiming to increase or decrease levels of neurotransmitters in the brain to either increase or decrease brain activity
SSRI's: antidepressant, working to increase levels of serotonin in the synapse.
serotonin is released by presynaptic neurons and travels across a synapse
the neurotransmitter then chemically conveys the signal to the postsynaptic neuron where it is broken down.
SSRI's are often used alongside CBT to treat OCD because they help to reduce a person's emotional symptoms - allowing a more engaging and cooperative CBT session
evaluation of SSRI's:
strength:
Soomro (2009) reviewed 17 studies that used SSRI's and compared them to placebos. -found that all 17 studies showed better outcomes for treatment when using SSRI'S.
cost-effective and non-disruptive to people's lives.
weakness:
potential negative side effects, indigestion, blurredvision and damage to sexdrive - reduced quality of life