What are Cognitive Distortions?

A person's thoughts and beliefs—whether they're accurate or not—determine how they will feel about any given situation. When a person has a pattern of negative irrational thoughts, we call them cognitive distortions.

Cognitive distortions play a major role in many mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. Using cognitive behavioral therapy, a person can learn to challenge their cognitive distortions, and replace them with new, healthy thoughts.

Visit Therapist Aid to download a list of cognitive distortions:

[lanalane]

1. Emotional reasoning. When you feel something so intensely, so you think it might be true.
2. Disqualifying the positive. Focusing only on the small negative aspects.
3. Mind reading. Making assumptions without enough evidence.
4. All or nothing thinking. Beautiful or hideous. Black or white. Nothing in between.
5.Catastrophizing. Imagining the worst explanations or outcomes.

[getprobed]

I took a class in federal prison called Criminal Behavior....it was based on irrational thought processes. It's actually quite amazing the psychology behind this stuff. I realized it's something everyone does...but you can't stop them...best to not even point them out. It's best to learn and understand them Yourself...so you can catch Yourself doing it...and stop it. I've tried explaining these irrational thought processes to others and it usually doesn't end well. I was talking to another inmate one day about why some people don't take it well when being told about their own irrational thoughts. He told me "Sometimes you can only clean up the trash on your side of the fence"

[thewisdomtherapist]

CBT saved my life. After that I became a CBT therapist. This way of
living is so much powerful that my mission now is to let the whole world
know, how CBT can heal our lives!

[CRH]

Thank you first time I’ve youtubed distortions. The distortions are overwhelming my day-to-day life currently.

[tomski]

It's important to notice that these cognitive distortions conflict with people's Hence the emotional reaction. If the distortion was about something irrelevant to a person they would not care. Perhaps distortions form because of a hypersensitivity to a need or fear.

[michaelgrier]

Add the 'Zero Sum Gain' fallacy:
Someone compliments my kid on being so beautiful so that must mean they don't think I am beautiful or my sister got invited to go to the beach with one of her friends (who I don't even know) but nobody invited me to go anywhere so that must mean nobody wants my company.

[rachellewhite]

I wish I had a way to turn off my brain. I just want to calm down for a little while. My head is running wild, constantly. It’s exhausting.

[reneesantiago]

have ALL 5! Its been there since childhood and really started affecting my life in severely negative way about 7 yrs ago. Its absolutely HORRIBLE to live like this everyday!

[theoreticallyspeaking]

Saving my A level psychology one video at a time!

[connorweisberg]

I'm so glad I came across this vid! I've been struggling with this problem for years. I grew a lot over last year during the spring/summer, but then the thoughts started to come back recently around November. I have been trying to figure out what it was for so long and know I can address it to my therapist. Thank you!

[jemimahkirabo]

I am definitely in all these categories Especially feeling like if someone is late, they are dead, or in an accident, or if I live with the door unlocked once, I will get killed.If I miss taking medication I will die.

[domo]

I behave like this because of my experiences proving me right

[funlovers]

Superb. I met a therapist and he asked me to look up C D. Great explanation.

[raghadtv]

This blows my mind 😮 never thought that there’s such a thing
I literally experience this way of thinking

[clarenceoliveriii]

Absolutely, an amazing job. I am in a master's program learning more and you have explained this quite well. Thank you!

[ericnorman]

May be a series on how each cognitive distortion may be challenged? For each case, what may be done in principle followed up by examples?

[amaraprivv]

i have all of these and it’s so extreme

[aparnagupta]

Very simply explained and easy to understand. Thank you for this video.

[michellet_thatsme]

This was incredibly helpful! I appreciate the way you gave such clear and concise explanations as well as relatable examples without the addition of the more clinical jargon filled language we often see used by professionals.

[kalidas]

Such information will definitely eliminate people's negativity and correct their behavior.