Evaluation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Created by: cgoodley12
Created on: 31-01-19 09:31


	Evaluation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
	Advantages It is effective ; March et al. 2007 - In this study, they compared CBT to antidepressant drugs and a mix of both in 327 depressed teens. They found that after 36 weeks, 81% of the CBT group, 81% of the antidepressant group and 86% of the CBT and antidepressant group were significantly improved. The study shows that CBT is just as effective as drugs.	Disadvantages It may not work in severe cases ; In some cases, depression may be so severe that people lack motivation to tkae on the cognitive work involved in CBT. It may be more effective in this case to initally prescribe drugs, and move to CBT when the persons state improves. This is a limitation as it means that it can't always be the sole treatment of depression. Success may be due to therapist-patient relationships ; Rosenzweig (1936) suggested the difference between various methods of psychotherapy to be minute, with each method having the same ingredients of relationships between therapist and patient. Many comparative reviews find small differences between therapies. May be an overemphasis on cognition ; CBT may end up minimising the circumstances in which the patient is living (McCusker 2014). A patient living currently in poverty, or suffering abuse may need to change their circumstances, and any approach that emphasises what is in the patients mind, rather than their environment can prevent this. CBT techniques used inappropriately may demotivate people to change their circumstances.
	Evaluation CBT can work on two bases; inspired by Beck and his negative triad, or Ellis and his ABC model. Beck - The patient and therapist work together to see what is troubling the patients, with the pair then establishing where there may be irrational thoughts that would benefit from challenging. The patient takes an active role in challenging their thoughts, by testing the reality of the irrational beliefs. By doing the research themselves, the therapist is able to see if the patient is aware, but also helps them to produce evidence to disprove the patients belief. Ellis - rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) extends the ABC model to ABCDE; D is for dispute (challenging irrational beliefs) and E is for effect. A patient may be asked to talk about how unfair things are for them, etc.. with REBT identifying this as utopianism.

Evaluation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Advantages

It is effective ; March et al. 2007 - In this study, they compared CBT to antidepressant drugs and a mix of both in 327 depressed teens. They found that after 36 weeks, 81% of the CBT group, 81% of the antidepressant group and 86% of the CBT and antidepressant group were significantly improved. The study shows that CBT is just as effective as drugs.

Disadvantages

It may not work in severe cases ; In some cases, depression may be so severe that people lack motivation to tkae on the cognitive work involved in CBT. It may be more effective in this case to initally prescribe drugs, and move to CBT when the persons state improves. This is a limitation as it means that it can't always be the sole treatment of depression.
Success may be due to therapist-patient relationships ; Rosenzweig (1936) suggested the difference between various methods of psychotherapy to be minute, with each method having the same ingredients of relationships between therapist and patient. Many comparative reviews find small differences between therapies.
May be an overemphasis on cognition ; CBT may end up minimising the circumstances in which the patient is living (McCusker 2014). A patient living currently in poverty, or suffering abuse may need to change their circumstances, and any approach that emphasises what is in the patients mind, rather than their environment can prevent this. CBT techniques used inappropriately may demotivate people to change their circumstances.

Evaluation

CBT can work on two bases; inspired by Beck and his negative triad, or Ellis and his ABC model. Beck - The patient and therapist work together to see what is troubling the patients, with the pair then establishing where there may be irrational thoughts that would benefit from challenging. The patient takes an active role in challenging their thoughts, by testing the reality of the irrational beliefs. By doing the research themselves, the therapist is able to see if the patient is aware, but also helps them to produce evidence to disprove the patients belief. Ellis - rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) extends the ABC model to ABCDE; D is for dispute (challenging irrational beliefs) and E is for effect. A patient may be asked to talk about how unfair things are for them, etc.. with REBT identifying this as utopianism.

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Evaluation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy