Table 2 Disorders of information processing in depression: frequent cognitive distortions [36]

Dichotomous/all or nothing thinking

Absolute and black-and white thinking, refusing anything which includes any minor imperfections

Overgeneralisation

Generalization based on a single experience of failure, perceiving a single negative event as an endless series of failures

Negative filter/selective abstraction

Designating the whole situation as negative based on a single negative detail, disproportionate attention to negative details and ignorance for positives

Discounting positives

Successes, accomplishments and positive characteristics do not count

Jumping to conclusions

Negative conclusions in the absence of evidence; supposing without any basis that others will react in a negative way, the person continuously expects things to end badly

Magnification/minimization

Arbitrary and disproportionate maximization of own faults and negative events, arbitrary and disproportionate minimization of good characteristics or events

Emotional reasoning/logic

Reasoning based on emotions, treating negative emotions as facts, and drawing conclusions based on them

“Should” statements

Formulating expectations as primary motives, criticizing self and others with should and must not statements

Labeling

Identifying self with own mistakes, applying these labels instead of admitting and acknowledging own mistakes

Personalisation and blame

Holding self responsible for something the person has no control over or something the person is not responsible for, or blaming others ignoring own role