Unhelpful Automatic Thoughts
Let's focus more on our thought patterns and their influence on maintaining depressive symptoms. We’re going to talk specifically about automatic thoughts, which are the thoughts and/or images that automatically pop into our heads, as if they were a reflex. We don't choose for them to happen, they just do. These automatic thoughts can be helpful or unhelpful and can impact the way we feel or further think about things.
We’re going to hone in on the unhelpful automatic thoughts, because they are the ones that can perpetuate the experience of depression. Here is an example of automatic thoughts and feelings that might go with them:
Imagine you’re walking on campus and someone doesn’t acknowledge you when you say “hi.” You have the thought “they must not like me” or you have the thought “maybe they didn’t hear me.” Having the unhelpful thought "they must not like me" elicits a different emotional or behavioral reaction than the more helpful thought "maybe they didn't hear me." You may feel hurt if you think they don’t like you, you might generalize the thought to "nobody likes me," and may end up isolating from others. Conversely, you might just brush it off if you think they didn’t hear you.
Thoughts as Perpetuators
From just this one example, we agree that it would be easy to feel sad, upset, hurt, etc. if we had the thought “they must not like me.” With depression, this pattern of unhelpful automatic thoughts can occur repeatedly, as if you're live-streaming your perceived flaws and mistakes. This pattern of unhelpful thinking can be incessant and very hard to turn off. It can lead to low emotions, behavioral changes, and physical sensations, all perpetuating the experience of depression.
Cross-Sectional Formulation
Let’s take a look at the cross sectional formulation you completed previously (or click here for a blank copy). Remember when we talked about how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all interact? Well, automatic thoughts can impact the way we feel or further think about things.
Taking a look at your cross-sectional formulation, is it possible that any of the thoughts listed were unhelpful automatic thoughts? The next section will help you begin to identify categories of unhelpful automatic thoughts.