Persistent Depressive Disorder Persistent Depressive Disorder Treatment & Therapeutic Approaches 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for PDD, which core cognitive distortion is most commonly targeted?
- Grandiosity
- Hopelessness and negative self-schema (Correct answer)
- Paranoid ideation
- Magical thinking
Correct answer: Hopelessness and negative self-schema
CBT for PDD primarily targets chronic hopelessness, negative self-view, and maladaptive core beliefs that perpetuate the disorder.
Question 2: Which behavioral activation technique is particularly important in PDD treatment given the chronic low energy and anhedonia?
- Exposure and response prevention
- Scheduling pleasurable and mastery activities (Correct answer)
- Systematic desensitization
- Flooding
Correct answer: Scheduling pleasurable and mastery activities
Behavioral activation through scheduling pleasurable and achievement-oriented activities counters the withdrawal and anhedonia central to PDD.
Question 3: Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) adapted for PDD places particular focus on which problem area?
- Grief and loss only
- Role transitions and interpersonal deficits related to chronic illness (Correct answer)
- Phobia reduction
- Trauma processing
Correct answer: Role transitions and interpersonal deficits related to chronic illness
IPT for PDD focuses on role transitions and interpersonal deficits, recognizing how chronic depression shapes relationships and social functioning over years.
Question 4: Which lifestyle intervention has evidence supporting its use as an adjunct in PDD treatment?
- Bed rest and reduced activity
- Regular aerobic exercise (Correct answer)
- Elimination of all social contact
- High-fat diet
Correct answer: Regular aerobic exercise
Regular aerobic exercise has demonstrated mood-elevating effects and is recommended as an adjunct treatment in depression including PDD.
Question 5: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is primarily used in PDD to target which outcome?
- Acute psychosis management
- Relapse prevention and reducing depressive rumination (Correct answer)
- Appetite regulation
- Sleep induction
Correct answer: Relapse prevention and reducing depressive rumination
MBCT is used in PDD to prevent relapse by teaching patients to observe ruminative thought patterns without being consumed by them.
Question 6: In the stepped-care model for PDD in US clinical practice, what typically occurs at step 3 when lower-level interventions have failed?
- Discontinue all treatment
- Referral to specialty mental health services and consideration of augmentation or combination therapies (Correct answer)
- Switch to self-help books only
- Begin electroconvulsive therapy immediately
Correct answer: Referral to specialty mental health services and consideration of augmentation or combination therapies
Step 3 in the stepped-care model involves referral to specialty mental health care with more intensive or combination pharmacological and psychotherapeutic strategies.
Persistent Depressive Disorder Persistent Depressive Disorder Treatment & Therapeutic Approaches 2
In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for PDD, which core cognitive distortion is most commonly targeted?