Rumination and Unipolar Depression: How Do We Change Such Negative Thoughts?

According to Beck’s treatment approach, is based on a model of depression that views the problem as an outgrowth of systematic errors in thinking. In early research, Beck found that people with depression had a negative bias in their views of themselves, the world, and the future (Beck, 1921). Concrete feedback that disproved these views had an immediate positive effect on their feelings and behavior. In particular, it boosted their mood and increased optimism and motivation; it gave people a way to reduce their own suffering.

Depression is a mood disorder which is categorised by low mood and a wide range of other symptoms, which will inevitably differ depending on the individual. This mental health illness can either progress at a fast rate or steadily. Many scientific and medicinal professionals view depression as a defence mechanism that the body implements in order to escape from stress. Seligman (1973) discussed depression in terms of it being like a ‘common cold’ of psychiatry, due to how frequently it is diagnosed. The behaviourist approach accentuates the significance of the environment in regards to determining an individual’s behaviour. To behaviourist theorists, our behaviour does not relate with our internal unconscious struggles or suppressions. However, psychologists in this field use ideologies of the learning theory to explain human behaviour. According to the behavioural theory, dysfunctional behaviour such as depression is learned and so because of this, psychologists propose that it can also be unlearned. This perspective focuses on behaviour which is observable and the circumstances in which a particular individual has learnt that behaviour. As a result, depression is therefore seen by behaviourist theorists as a result of an individual’s contact with their environment.

Cuijpers (2017) identifies that over the last 40 years there have been approximately 500 randomized trials looking at the efficacy of treating depression with psychological methods. The studies chosen provide insight into the lack of efficacy of antidepressant medication therapy, as well as the effectiveness of psychological therapies. The evidence provided in the studies appears to support one another.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is one of the most prevalent treatments used with clients suffering from MDD, although this is sometimes combined with medication for better treatment results. CBT is derived from Aaron Beck’s cognitive approach to treating depressed individuals, the model suggest that depression develops when individuals develop negative thoughts about themselves, world, and future (Para, 2008). Negative schemas or thought process can occur early in life in the events of stressful life experiences; these thought patterns are then revealed later in life during certain situations. CBT’s goals are to reduce the automatic negative thoughts and actions when experiencing stressful life situations. In CBT clients are taught to examine carefully their thought processes while they are depressed and taught to recognize depressive errors in thinking (Barlow and Durand, 2009). Between sessions clients are instructed to monitor and log their thought

Antidepressant medication is the most popular treatment for depression. Studies have suggested that cognitive therapy of depression might have a significant advantage over medication in preventing relapses or recurrences (Robinson, 2005). Despite the alarming prevalence of depression in society, there is yet no completely adequate explanation as to how or why it occurs (Robinson, 2005). The three major etiological models for understanding depression are cognitive models (based on the work of Beck & Ellis), biological models that link depression to variance in biochemistry (Robinson, 2005), and diathesis-stress models that view depression as the result of a complex interaction of contextual factors and intra-individual factors (Robinson, 2005). There is some evidence to suggest that once treatment-to-remission-from-depression is terminated that pharmacologically treated patients were twice as likely to relapse than patients treated with cognitive therapy (Miller, 1989). Many studies have reported evidence of negative cognitive patterns among depressed individuals. A self-deprecating style, negative attitudes toward the future and negative automatic thoughts frequently are associated with depression (Miller, 1989).

Rumination is the downward spiral to mental hell. In Lost in Thought: The Perils of Rumination, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema describes the challenges of people who suffer from such a perdicament. She details the consequences of rumination such as depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and a decrease in problem solving skills. Unfortunately I am guilty of rumination. This article helped me realize my thought patterns are not normal and I should see a doctor to fix it.

The aim of the current study was to examine the applicability of resiliency models in explaining the prediction of depressive symptoms from rumination, and the role of agency and pathways as protective factors among Australian adults. The first hypothesis, based on the direct effects models, that high levels of rumination and that low levels of agency and pathways would be associated with high levels of depressive symptoms was supported for both men and women. The second hypothesis, based on the compensatory model, that rumination would be positively associated with depressive symptoms, while each protective factor would be negatively associated with the level of depressive symptoms, was supported for agency for both men and women, and

It also shows that this effect is not dependent on whether or not a person is, or has been, depressed. It also negates the idea that the effects could also be found in reflective rumination, supporting the distinction between the two. The results highlight a potential method for assessing a person risk for depressive thoughts, and attentional biases. Further research into this topic could provide a better understanding of depression and its related symptoms, thus helping us develop better method for treatment and for

Historically, the discovery and diagnosis of depression, has raised curiosity on how it affects the ones diagnosed with this disorder. Despite the understanding of depression, having changed over the years that curiosity has remained the same. Regardless of ones perception on this, depression can have serious impacts on one’s life and it is important to recognize and treat this as antithetical disorder.

The combined intervention added elements of imagination and reason, in a bottom up process, prior to the top down process of CBT (Williams, et al., 2013), while MBCT utilized the psychoeducational dimension of CBT with a mindfulness approach to addressing intrusive thoughts (Sipe and Eisendrath, 2012). Another area of similarity was the assignment of homework in both therapeutic approaches and the availability of additional support information. Both articles claimed to have initial successes with the treatment of depression and warranted further

They are also similar in that there is limited success with these approaches. The cognitive approach consists of four phases and is very effective in helping people overcome depression. The phases start with increasing the individual’s life activities which elevates their mood, the second phase forces individuals to change their automatic negative thoughts so they will be more positive, the third phase takes the new positive attitude and applies that thinking to the individual’s sense of what is happening in their life, the fourth and final stage is to change the primary attitudes that allowed the depressive behavior to begin (Chapter 7, 2009).

In essence, metacognition is cognition about cognition--thinking about one’s attention, thoughts, memory, etc. (Wells, 2009). MCT is based on an information-processing model first proposed by Dr. Wells, and also co-authored by Dr. Gerald Matthews (Wells & Matthews, 1996). According to metacognitive theory, metacognitive processes can produce unhealthy ruminational or maladaptive presentations in responding to thoughts (Wells, 2009). This is the focal point of metacognitive therapy practice. An example of a negative or maladaptive metacognition would be a client telling their therapist: “my thoughts make me feel like a piece of driftwood at sea”. Negative metacognitions are at the heart of MCT's view of the origin of psychopathology (Wells, 2009). MCT borrows from CBT in that they both view maladaptive thinking as cause for psychology disorder. However, there is a distinction between the two styles; Metacognitive theory views the origin of psychological disorder as maladaptive metacognitive patterns (rather than just focusing on the content of negative thoughts), and even judges negative cognitions as naturally temporary (though negative cognitions can potentially propagate negative metacognitions if not managed effectively) (Hjemdal et al., 2013; Normann et al., 2014; Wells,

Terms discussed in paper: CBT: Cognitive-behavioural therapy; HEP: Health enhancement program; TAU: Treatment as usual; TRD: Treatment-resistant depression; Mediators: Measurable changes during a treatment; MBCT: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy;

In this article, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema proposes the hypothesis that people who engage in rumination over events and spend time worrying about the emotional factors will show signs of depression for a longer amount of time than the people who immediately focus on how to solve the problem. She argues that ruminating on problems allows negativity to cloud thoughts and does not lead to active problem-solving.

Aaron Beck’s theory of depression pointed out that depression is the result of negative schema, cognitive errors, and negative triad rather than the situation (Nolen-Hoeksema & Hilt, 2009, p340). When someone who is vulnerable to contain dysfunctional attitudes encounters a stressful situation or a traumatic life event, the negative schema is activated. The negative schema disturbs the thought process and then causes cognitive errors. Consequently, negative triad, consist of negative view of the self, the world and the future, is developed, which in combination can trigger a person to become depressed. Researches have been conducted to evaluate the relationship between the negative schema and teen depression. With a moderate level of evidence