Have you ever wondered why some healthcare providers treat depression differently? This is because Psych providers can adhere to different models of abnormality. There are a few key differences in the school of thought of each of the six psychological models. For each of the six models, they each have different reasons and explanations for dysfunction or the development of a disorder. Along with that, they also have different approaches to how a patient should be treated when it comes to different diagnoses. The biological model focuses more on the physical aspect of the brain, with physical treatments such as drug therapy that deals with chemical makeups. The psychodynamic model deals with the unconscious causes, while the sociocultural model looks at a multitude of causes from a person’s social environment. The humanistic existential model treats patients with unconditional positive regard in one-on-one talk therapy, while the sociocultural model treats patients with group or family therapy. The cognitive behavioral model holds truer to the focus on oneself and their emotions for a multitude of reasons. This treatment can also be considered one on one therapy but uses CBT to help reverse these negative thoughts and behaviors. The developmental psychological model uses all five of the previously mentioned models to fully treat a patient and find the root of the dysfunction. Listed below are how each model of abnormality will treat depression. Treatment is not ‘one-size-fits-all’, so it is important to find the one that’s right for you.
How would each Psychological Model treat depression?
- Biological– The treatment of depression would be determined by what clinicians think the root cause would be. This means that most of the time depression would be treated with pharmaceutical drugs such as antidepressants. Drug therapy will often be used and can continually be changed to find the correct dose or drug for the patient.
- Psychodynamic– This model with treat depression with therapy/counseling. By using different therapeutic techniques, the goal of the therapist would be to help uncover past issues or trauma that could be the root of depression. The patient would have to be an active participant in talk therapy in attempt to find these issues
- Cognitive Behavioral– This model would treat depression by focusing on the cognitive processes that are causing the outward behavioral actions. A clinician would attempt to help change the thought processes of the patient that are essentially at the root of the depression and give them coping skills for negative thoughts and experiences, to help cope with triggering events. The clinician would collaborate with the patient on what exercises would work best for when the depression is bad and focus on changing the focal point of these patterns
- Humanistic Existential– The clinician would treat depression by helping the patient identify negative feelings and internal conflict, sit with those feelings without opinion of them, and help the patient control and be comfortable with those feelings instead of avoiding them.
- Sociocultural– A therapist using this model would begin to treat depression by trying to figure out what cultural or social factors could be causing it. The clinician could then try and figure out a form of treatment that would address those issues that are causing depression. Another way is by putting the client in group or family therapy that gives them a healthy support system of their own sociocultural background
- Developmental Psychopathology– This model would use a combination of techniques from the five other psychological models. The treatment type would depend on the patient and what factors are at the root of their depression, whether it be genetic, social, psychological trauma, etc.
American Psychological Association. (2017, July). What is cognitive behavioral therapy? American Psychological Association. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
Comer, R. J., & Comer, J. S. (2021). Abnormal psychology (11th ed.). Worth Publishers. ISBN: 9781319370602
Zarifian, E., & Cuche , H. (n.d.). [biological treatments of depression (author’s transl)]. La semaine des hopitaux : organe fonde par
l’Association d’enseignement medical des hopitaux de Paris. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6269190/
