Depression, Anxiety and Metacognitive Therapy Quiz

Answer: Cognitive therapy focuses on what you think, while metacognitive therapy focuses on how you think

There is no information indicating that the two therapies differ in terms of cost. Both involve a limited number of sessions. No psychotherapy works in 100% of the cases.

In metacognitive therapy, the goal is to reverse the cognitive attentional syndrome. Those affected by this syndrome find it hard to control their thoughts or escape certain proclivities in their thinking. They also struggle with a style of thinking heavily biased towards worry, rumination, excessive attention to threat and unhelpful behaviors. To combat this syndrome, the new therapy works on metacognition.

Answer: Adrian Wells

Dissatisfied with psychoanalysis, Aaron Beck from Philadelphia pioneered cognitive therapy for the treatment of depression in the 1960s. Isaac Marks was an important British behavioral therapist. Max Hamilton was a British psychiatrist who created two popular rating scales for depression and anxiety.

At the time of writing, Adrian Wells is Professor of Clinical and Experimental Psychopathology at the University of Manchester. In 2009 he published a seminal book titled 'Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression'.

Answer: Rumination

An obsession is a distressing, unwanted and repetitious idea, impulse or image originating in the person's own mind. For example, an excessive concern about contamination with germs. Compulsions are repetitious behaviors that occur in response to obsessions and are meant to protect the person with the obsessions or other people. For example, repeated hand washing to ward off contamination.

In the framework of metacognitive therapy, rumination can be seen as persistent negative inner speech uselessly focused on past events that cannot be undone. Rumination is most likely to occur in depressed people who often reduce their level of activity, which in turn gives them more time to ruminate. Rumination can be perceived as uncontrollable. If persistent, it can prolong and worsen the emotional distress of depressed people.

Answer: Worry

Filtering, jumping to conclusions and catastrophizing are types of depressive cognitive distortions that are addressed in cognitive therapy and not in metacognitive therapy.

In the framework of metacognitive therapy, worry can be seen as persistent negative inner speech consisting of trains of thoughts and questions about possible future threats. Worry can be perceived as uncontrollable and it can have untoward effects on concentration and sleep. If persistent, it can prolong and worsen the emotional distress of anxious people.

Answer: The' tip of the tongue' effect

'Black and white' thinking, overgeneralization and personalization are cognitive distortions and not examples of metacognition. Do you remember instances when you were unable to recall something, although you had a strong feeling that the respective information was stored in your memory? That is an example of metacognition at work. It is called the 'tip of the tongue' effect.

Answer: Attention training technique

Attention training is a technique developed by Professor Adrian Wells. This technique aims at weakening the cognitive attentional syndrome and enhancing awareness of attention control. The duration of the technique is about twelve minutes. The person focuses actively on diverse sounds in various locations while simultaneously attempting to decrease distraction and preserve selectivity.

In addition to attention training, to further weaken the cognitive attentional syndrome the patient learns novel approaches in relating to negative thoughts and beliefs and is helped to gradually give up metacognitive beliefs that generate disadvantageous ways of thinking.

Balanced thought is the goal of completing thought records, typically used in cognitive therapy for depression and anxiety. Autogenic training is a relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Schultz. Relaxation breathing is a type of calming breathing.

Answer: It can be used in people who take antidepressants

Metacognitive therapy can certainly be used in people who take antidepressants. It can also be used in people who take other psychotropic medications.

Answer: It can be effective in people who do not take psychotropic medications

Metacognitive therapy can be effective in people who do not take psychotropic medications. It is not mandatory to take such medications after the metacognitive therapy program ends.

Answer: Repeated metacognitive therapy programs for the same problem are not recommended

Repeat metacognitive therapy courses are not needed in people who no longer have the problems which brought them into therapy in the first place.

Answer: USA

Other countries where registered metacognitive therapists are available include Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Israel, Faroe Islands.