Behavioral Models & Treatment of Depression I

However, there do remain behavioral models that have essentially avoided reliance on cognitive or mental factors as explanatory constructs of mental disorder in favor of the more observable determinants of stimulus-response factors (Heiby, 1993). A central assumption in the report presented here is that the models avoiding cognitive or mental agents are more tied to the roots of behavioristic theory and that because of this deeper connection, these models need to be more thoroughly considered in any review of the behavioral perspective of mental health.

The purpose of this report is explicate these more behavioristic models as they apply to depression and to review empirical research related to therapeutic interventions derived from these models. To provide context to this review, the report also provides a description of the prevalence of depression as well as a brief characterization of the clinical symptoms associated with disorder.

Depression Prevalence and Clinical Symptoms

An understanding of behavioral models and treatment for depression is enhanced through review of the disorder's contextu

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tside observers. Findings revealed that independently of their negative schemata, depressed individuals' social skill deficits explained a significant portion of the variance in their more negative interpretation of feedback relative to nondepressed individuals. According to the authors, findings suggested that real deficits in depressed persons' performance compound the effects of their negative schemata and further contribute to their negative cognitions. In its more current form, Lewinsohn's theory (see: Lewinsohn, Hoberman & Rosenbaum, 1988) has expanded to encompass more than a low rate of positive reinforcement as a pivotal depression element. In this more comprehensive view, an antecedent event such as stress is said to disrupt the predictable and well-established behavior pattern of a person's life. This operates to decrease the rate of positive reinforcement or to increase aversive experiences. If individuals cannot reverse the impact of stress, they begin to become self-critical, to hold negative expectancies, and to lose self-confidence. Functioning, therefore, increases in difficulty, making these individuals yet more vulnerable to depression. Thus, in its more current form, Lewinsohn's model covers behavior
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Approximate Word count = 8786
Approximate Pages = 35 (250 words per page)

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