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Thought Balloon

Unit 5 - Abnormal Psychology

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Magnifying Glass Tilted Left

Unit 1 - Research Methodology

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Herb

Unit 2 - Biological Approach To Behaviour

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Brain

Unit 3 - Cognitive Approach To Behaviour

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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Unit 4 - Sociocultural Approach To Behavior

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Performing Arts

Unit 6 - Health psychology

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Busts In Silhouette

Unit 7 - Psychology Of Human Relationships

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Chart Increasing

Unit 8 - Developmental Psychology

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Bar-Chart

Unit 9 - Internal Assessment

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Light Bulb

Unit 10 - The IB Curriculum - A Conceptual Model

Hey there, psychology whiz! Ever wondered how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works its magic? And how that&#39;s different from popping an antidepressant? Well, let&#39;s take a deep dive into a study that shines light on these fascinating questions!

The primary question is: What changes does CBT trigger in our brains? Goldapple et al (2004) took a crack at this by comparing the effects of CBT with those of antidepressants. Imagine your brain as a grand, intricate city and we&#39;ve just gotten a traffic report of changes that CBT and antidepressants bring. Interesting, isn&#39;t it?

Picture this: 17 people with depression who haven&#39;t taken any medication (their HAM-D score, a measure of depression severity, averaged 20) go through a course of CBT. Their average HAM-D score dips to 6.7 after treatment (hooray!). The traffic report from their brain is compared to another group of 13 patients who took antidepressants and had similar HAM-D scores and reduction.

CBT resulted in &quot;top-down&quot; changes, mostly in the cortex. Think of it as adjustments to the &quot;city planning department&quot; of your brain. On the other hand, antidepressants caused &quot;bottom-up&quot; changes, mainly in the limbic and subcortical regions (like the brainstem). Picture it as changes in the &quot;suburbs&quot; of your brain.

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Despite the differences, both CBT and antidepressants triggered changes in the cortical-limbic pathways. Think of these as the highways connecting the brain&#39;s &#39;city center&#39; (cortex) with its &#39;suburbs&#39; (limbic system).

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These findings suggest that CBT and antidepressants achieve similar results (modulating cortical-limbic pathways) through different physiological pathways.

Now, here&#39;s the catch. The patients weren&#39;t randomly assigned to the treatment groups (CBT or medication). They chose their own treatment paths. If these two groups differed from the start, we might be dealing with a selection bias, sort of like comparing apples and oranges.

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This is something to keep in mind while interpreting the study. But it still gives us crucial insights into how CBT and antidepressants can have distinct effects on the brain, while achieving similar outcomes in treating depression.

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And there you go, a glimpse into the world of brain changes and treatments for depression. Next time you hear about CBT or antidepressants, remember the story of top-down and bottom-up changes!

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Keep those neurons firing, and happy studying! 🧠💡📚

Unlocking Brain Secrets: CBT Vs. Antidepressants!

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Higher Level

Psychology HL

Unit 5 - Abnormal Psychology

Unlocking Brain Secrets: CBT vs. Antidepressants!

Table of content

What's the big idea?

Setting the scene

Unlock the Full Content!

Unit 5 - Abnormal Psychology

Unlocking Brain Secrets: CBT vs. Antidepressants!

Table of content

What's the big idea?

Setting the scene

Unlock the Full Content!