An alternative model for the aetiology of depression

This thesis is in two chapters. Chapter 1 provides a broad overview of some of the cognitive and other theories which provide insight into the development of depression. Depression, in this thesis, is seen as a complex disorder with a multifaceted aetiology the factors of which interact in subtle ways. Chapter 2 is an exploratory study which provides some evidence regarding a specific factor which may be involved, at a basal level, in the development of schemas and attributional styles. This section is written in the form of a journal article which could be submitted for publication. Depression has been chosen as an area of study because of its relevance to the present time, in terms of the large amount of government, public and media attention being paid to the development of depression and its effect on the community. There have been substantial developments in the treatment of depression over the last two decades. These developments mean that depression is being seen as having the potential to be more effectively managed, in response to the development of more effective medications for depression, tricyclic antidepressants, specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tetracyclic antidepressants and specific noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and more especially, the development of effective psychological treatments for depression (Clarke, Rohde, Lewinsohn, Hops, & Seeley, 1999: Michael & Cowley, 2002). However, although there has been a great deal of research into depression, its aetiology and its dynamics and into the development of more effective treatments for it, treatments for depression are still only moderately successful, whether presented individually or in combination (Manicavasager & Andric, 2004)