Cognitive Explanations
Area Mental Health (Applied)
Files
Notes
Outline a cognitive explanation for mental illness
Beck’s cognitive explanation believes in the diathesis stress model. People have
the triad of negative beliefs about themselves, the world and the future (e.g
failing one test and thinking they are stupid forever and won’t be able to change
it) have the diathesis. These people only develop depression when they
experience a negative life event that acts as a trigger to their condition e.g. death
of a loved one. Their depression is maintained by distortions in their thinking and
processing of information, which include:
Overgeneralisation: person views one failure as a never-ending defeat and
thinking that everything goes wrong for them
Catastrophisation: person views one negative event e.g. forgetting their
wallet as a catastrophe, thus consumed by negative events and unable to
think of anything else
Dichotomous thinking: person associates other people with positive qualities
e.g. lucky, happiness, beauty and associate negative ones e.g. bad luck,
worthlessness with themselves while not recognising that everyone can be
and experience both good + bad
Negative filtering: person focuses on the negative events and downplaying
all other positive ones
Outline a cognitive treatment for mental illness
CBT is a talking therapy where the patient would receive 5-20 weekly
sessions.
It’s designed for patients to learn to identify + change irrational thoughts
For example, a mother with post-natal depression would be asked to write
down all the things she does for her baby to try and refute the belief that
she’s a bad mother
Cognitive Explanations 1
Area Mental Health (Applied)
Files
Notes
Outline a cognitive explanation for mental illness
Beck’s cognitive explanation believes in the diathesis stress model. People have
the triad of negative beliefs about themselves, the world and the future (e.g
failing one test and thinking they are stupid forever and won’t be able to change
it) have the diathesis. These people only develop depression when they
experience a negative life event that acts as a trigger to their condition e.g. death
of a loved one. Their depression is maintained by distortions in their thinking and
processing of information, which include:
Overgeneralisation: person views one failure as a never-ending defeat and
thinking that everything goes wrong for them
Catastrophisation: person views one negative event e.g. forgetting their
wallet as a catastrophe, thus consumed by negative events and unable to
think of anything else
Dichotomous thinking: person associates other people with positive qualities
e.g. lucky, happiness, beauty and associate negative ones e.g. bad luck,
worthlessness with themselves while not recognising that everyone can be
and experience both good + bad
Negative filtering: person focuses on the negative events and downplaying
all other positive ones
Outline a cognitive treatment for mental illness
CBT is a talking therapy where the patient would receive 5-20 weekly
sessions.
It’s designed for patients to learn to identify + change irrational thoughts
For example, a mother with post-natal depression would be asked to write
down all the things she does for her baby to try and refute the belief that
she’s a bad mother
Cognitive Explanations 1
