Cognitive Distortions (Errors in Thinking)

 By Joe W, Amanda M, Yaniz S

What are cognitive distortions?

According to Ackerman (2017), cognitive distortions are also known as errors in thinking or a biased perspective on yourself and the world around you that causes negative thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. Although there are various cognitive distortions, they all have in common these three characteristics:

• They are tendencies or patterns of thinking or believing;

• They are false or inaccurate;

• And have the potential to cause psychological damage.

Cognitive distortions can worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety, as according to the Cognitive Behavioral Theory, our thoughts create all our moods which in turn affects our behavior. Negative thoughts are our interpretation of what's going on in our lives and are considered cognitive distortions when you are depressed or anxious.

To combat cognitive distortions Dr. Aaron Beck developed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Dr. David Burns used the CBT theory to write a handbook for the general public which we have examples of below:

References:

https://positivepsychology.com/cognitive-distortions/

Mental Health Awareness

Since the pandemic began there has been an uptick in mental health concerns as people have faced unemployment, navigated online healthcare services, and struggled with social isolation. These negative impacts of the pandemic, such as job loss, economic instability, and food insecurity, have also, specifically, disproportionately hit minority communities.
“In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%”
 

Groups of people most impacted:

• Most children, adolescents, and young adults were forced to trade their in-school experience for remote classes leading to social isolation which affects the social-emotional learning that is critical for their development.
• BIPOC had a harder time finding mental health care in the US.
• In areas with increased COVID cases, there was a higher incidence of mental health crises.
• Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with mental health conditions during COVID.
• People with preexisting conditions (such as asthma, cancer and heart disease) were more likely to get infected and have a serious COVID case.
• People with poor social support, financial difficulties, food or housing instability, or a history of mental illness were more likely to experience a mental illness during COVID.

If the pandemic has had a silver lining, it’s the fact that many more people are now aware of the importance of mental health as the uptick in reported mental health concerns across the country is described as a second pandemic.
Efforts to destigmatize mental health by professionals in the field have been accelerated during the pandemic.
There has been such an increase in interest in therapy, that there is a shortage of counselors.
Switching to telehealth has made mental health resources easier to access and has removed some of the stigma-related barriers as there has been an increase in young adults who've sought out counseling during the pandemic.
It is clear that the impact of the pandemic will outlive the pandemic itself therefore it is crucial to provide evidence-based strategies for supporting the mental health needs of all Americans, and to make these strategies broadly available, especially in vulnerable communities.

References:

https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Crisis-Intervention/988-Reimagining-Crisis-Response

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988 

https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/pandemic-accelerant-how-covid-19-advanced-our-mental-health-priorities

https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide