Cognitive Distortions in Depression
Changes in Thinking
Beck's Cognitive Triad: Negative thoughts experienced during depression can be grouped into three categories: thoughts about yourself, your present experiences, and your future (6).
Negative Attributions: This theory suggests that people who blame themselves for negative events, and who believe that a negative event will last longer than it actually will and affect many areas of their lives are more likely to become depressed. This way of thinking, however, is also caused by the depression (6).
Rumination: Another unfortunate cognitive effect of depression is rumination. When you're depressed, you're more likely to think in a repetitive, cyclical way. The result is that negative thoughts about yourself and your situation never seem to go away, and it's difficult to break out of this pattern (6).
Executive Dysfunction: People with depression often have difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and planning ahead (4).
Memory: You may find that, along with difficulty concentrating, you are having more trouble recalling information and memorizing facts than you used to. In addition, depression makes it easier to recall negative and painful memories and harder to recall happy ones (4).
Dreams: Nightmares occur more frequently when you're depressed, and dreams in general become more unpleasant (4).
Negative Attributions: This theory suggests that people who blame themselves for negative events, and who believe that a negative event will last longer than it actually will and affect many areas of their lives are more likely to become depressed. This way of thinking, however, is also caused by the depression (6).
Rumination: Another unfortunate cognitive effect of depression is rumination. When you're depressed, you're more likely to think in a repetitive, cyclical way. The result is that negative thoughts about yourself and your situation never seem to go away, and it's difficult to break out of this pattern (6).
Executive Dysfunction: People with depression often have difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and planning ahead (4).
Memory: You may find that, along with difficulty concentrating, you are having more trouble recalling information and memorizing facts than you used to. In addition, depression makes it easier to recall negative and painful memories and harder to recall happy ones (4).
Dreams: Nightmares occur more frequently when you're depressed, and dreams in general become more unpleasant (4).
Interpersonal Theories of Depression
Like the cognitive distortions present in depression, the interpersonal aspects of depression can work in two ways. If you have certain qualities or ways of thinking to begin with, then you are more likely to become depressed. However, depression also changes your ways of thinking about yourself and your relationships. Interpersonal theories of depression suggest that, when we are depressed, we become overly dependent on the support of other people and their opinions of us (6).
Depressed people also look for constant reassurance from important people in their lives that they are loved and that they will not be left alone. It's hard to feel confident that you are loved and supported when you have lost confidence in yourself, so it's hard to fully believe people when they give the reassurance you seek. Unfortunately, even the closest friend might get tired of the excessive reassurance-seeking of a depressed person, and may show their annoyance and frustration. Depression also puts a strain on romantic relationships, as your boy/girlfriend may not understand what you are going through. You may sometimes be told to "snap out of it." Depression is a vicious cycle because, if support is withdrawn from the depressed person, the depression worsens (6).
Depressed people also look for constant reassurance from important people in their lives that they are loved and that they will not be left alone. It's hard to feel confident that you are loved and supported when you have lost confidence in yourself, so it's hard to fully believe people when they give the reassurance you seek. Unfortunately, even the closest friend might get tired of the excessive reassurance-seeking of a depressed person, and may show their annoyance and frustration. Depression also puts a strain on romantic relationships, as your boy/girlfriend may not understand what you are going through. You may sometimes be told to "snap out of it." Depression is a vicious cycle because, if support is withdrawn from the depressed person, the depression worsens (6).