Depression
Cognitive Distortions – Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Extended)
Valued Domains
Cognitive Distortions – Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Common)
Exploring Valued Domains
Assertive Communication
Therapy Blueprint (Universal)
Subjugation
Thought Record (Evidence For And Against)
Embracing Uncertainty
Audio Collection: Psychology Tools For Developing Self-Compassion
Intolerance Of Uncertainty
Insufficient Self-Control
Assertive Responses
Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Archived)
Choosing Your Values
Activity Menu
[Free Guide] An Introduction To Values
Using Behavioral Activation To Overcome Depression
Behavioral Activation Activity Diary
Behavioral Experiment (Portrait Format)
Values: Connecting To What Matters
Emotions Motivate Actions
Self-Blame
Abandonment
Mistrust/Abuse
Evaluating Unhelpful Automatic Thoughts
Compassionate Thought Challenging Record
Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Second Edition): Client Workbook
Behavioral Experiment
Audio Collection: Psychology Tools For Mindfulness
What Keeps Depression Going?
What Is Rumination?
Emotional Deprivation
Changing Avoidance (Behavioral Activation)
Pessimism
Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Second Edition): Therapist Guide
Punitiveness
Failure To Achieve
Understanding Depression
Core Belief Magnet Metaphor
Activity Planning
CBT Appraisal Model
Negative Thoughts - Self-Monitoring Record
Behavioral Activation Activity Planning Diary
Thought-Action Fusion
Thought Record (Considered Response)
"Should" Statements
Activity Diary (Hourly Time Intervals)
Thought Record – Courtroom Trial
Emotional Reasoning
Enmeshment
Social Comparison
Emotional Inhibition
Approval-/Admiration-Seeking
Self-Monitoring Record (Universal)
Thoughts And Depression
Defectiveness
Interpersonal Beliefs And Styles
Self Critical Thought Challenging Record
Boundaries - Self-Monitoring Record
ABC Model
Uncertainty Beliefs – Experiment Record
All-Or-Nothing Thinking
Developing Psychological Flexibility
Demanding Standards – Living Well With Your Personal Rules
Overcoming Depression (Second Edition): Workbook
Dependence / Incompetence
Catching Your Thoughts (CYP)
Cognitive Behavioral Model Of Intolerance Of Uncertainty And Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms (Hebert, Dugas, 2019)
Intrusive Memory Record
Discounting In Perfectionism – The Ratchet Effect
Entitlement
Schema Bias
Rumination - Self-Monitoring Record
Depression - Self-Monitoring Record
A Guide To Emotions (Psychology Tools For Living Well)
Disqualifying The Positive
What Is Imagery Rescripting?
Attention Training Practice Record
What Is Burnout?
Hindsight Bias
Body Scan (Audio)
Mind Reading
Functional Analysis With Intervention Planning
Avoidance Hierarchy (Archived)
Dysfunctional Thought Record
CBT Daily Activity Diary With Enjoyment And Mastery Ratings
Overcoming Depression (Second Edition): Therapist Guide
Being With Difficulty (Audio)
Challenging Your Negative Thinking (Archived)
Externalizing
Mindfulness Of Breath (Short Version) (Audio)
Court Trial Thought Challenging Record (Archived)
Mental Filter
Magnification And Minimization
What Do People Think About Themselves (CYP)?
Mastery And Pleasure Activity Diary
Activity Diary (No Time Intervals)
Personalizing
Fortune Telling
Links to external resources
Psychology Tools makes every effort to check external links and review their content. However, we are not responsible for the quality or content of external links and cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time.
Assessment
- Valued Living Questionnaire (Version 2) | Wilson, Groom | 2002
-
Ruminative responses scale
| Treynor, Gonzalez, Nolen-Hoeksema | 2003
- Scale
-
Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS)
| Zimmerman, Chelminski, McGlinchey, Posternak | 2008
- Scale
- Zimmerman, M., Chelminski, I., McGlinchey, J. B., & Posternak, M. A. (2008). A clinically useful depression outcome scale. Comprehensive psychiatry, 49(2), 131-140.
-
Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale
| Zung | 1965
- Scale
- Reference Zung, W. W. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12(1), 63-70.
-
Severity Measure For Depression – Adult (Adapted from the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9))
| APA (Spitzer, Williams, Kroenke and colleagues)
- Scale – Adult
- Scale – Child Age 11-17
-
Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9)
| Kroenke, Spitzer | 2002
- Scale phqscreeners.com
- Kroenke, K., & Spitzer, R. L. (2002). The PHQ-9: a new depression diagnostic and severity measure. Psychiatric annals, 32(9), 509-515.
-
Montgomery & Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)
| Montgomery, Asberg | 1979
- Scale
- MADRS Score Card
- Montgomery, S.A., Asberg, M. (1979). A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134 (4): 382–89.
-
Hamilton Rating Scale For Depression (HAM-D)
| Hamilton | 1960
- Scale
- Hamilton M. (1960). A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 23, 56–62.
-
Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale (EPDS)
| Cox, Holden, Sagovsky | 1987
- Scale
- Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression: development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 150(6), 782-786.
Case Conceptualization / Case Formulation
- Developing and using a case formulation to guide cognitive behaviour therapy | Persons | 2015
- Cognitive conceptualisation (excerpt from Basics and Beyond) | J. Beck
Guides and workbooks
- Mood And Substance Use | NDARC: Mills, Marel, Baker, Teesson, Dore, Kay-Lambkin, Manns, Trimingham | 2011
Information Handouts
-
Depression (Information Handouts)
| Centre For Clinical Interventions
- What Is Depression?
- What Causes Depression?
- Psychotherapy for Depression
- Vicious Cycle of Depression
- Behavioural Activation: Fun and Achievement
- Fun Activities Catalogue
- Improving How You Feel
- Thinking and Feeling
- Analysing Your Thinking
- Changing Your Negative Thinking
- Unhelpful Thinking Styles
- What Are Core Beliefs?
- Problem Solving
- Staying Healthy
- Grief and Bereavement
Information (Professional)
- Get out of the TRAP and back on TRAC (for rumination and worry) | GoodMedicine
Self-Help Programmes
-
Behavioral Activation For Depression
| Southwark Psychological Therapies Service | 2012
- Introduction to BA for depression
- Monitoring Activity And Mood
- Roadmap: The Activation Plan
- Finding Direction: Values, Flow, And Strengths
- Avoidance And Depression TRAPs
- Thinking Habits
- Next Steps
-
Back from the Bluez (Workbook)
| Centre For Clinical Interventions | 2003
- Module 1: Overview of Depression
- Module 2: Behavioural Strategies for Managing Depression
- Module 3: The Thinking-Feeling Connection
- Module 4: The ABC Analysis
- Module 5: Unhelpful Thinking Styles
- Module 6: Detective Work and Disputation
- Module 7: The End Result
- Module 8: Core Beliefs
- Module 9: Self-Management
-
Back From The Bluez (Workbook)
| Centre For Clinical Interventions | 2003
- Module 1: Overview Of Depression
- Module 2: Behavioral Strategies For Managing Depression
- Module 3: The Thinking-Feeling Connection
- Module 4: The ABC Analysis
- Module 5: Unhelpful Thinking Styles
- Module 6: Detective Work And Disputation
- Module 7: The End Result
- Module 8: Core Beliefs
- Module 9: Self Management
Treatment Guide
- Depression In Adults: Treatment And Management (NICE Guideline) | NICE | 2022
- Behavioural activation treatment for depression (BATD) manual | Lejuez, Hopko & Hopko | 2001
- Suicide and self injury: a practitioners guide | Forensic Psychology Practice Ltd | 1999
- Behavioural activation treatment for depression – revised (BATD-R) manual | Lejuez, Hopko, Acierno, Daughters, Pagoto | 2011
- Metacognitive Training For Depression (D-MCT) Manual | Jelinek, Schneider, Hauschild, Moritz | 2023
-
Metacognitive Training For Depression
| Jelinek, Hauschildt, Moritz & Schneider | 2022
- Module 1: Thinking and reasoning 1
- Module 2: Memory
- Module 3: Thinking and reasoning 2
- Module 4: Self-worth
- Module 5: Thinking and reasoning 3
- Module 6: Behaviors and strategies
- Module 7: Thinking and reasoning 4
- Module 8: Perception of feelings
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression in young people: a modular treatment manual | Orygen | 2015
- Group therapy manual for cognitive behavioral treatment of depression | Muñoz, Miranda | 1993
- CBT For Depression In Veterans And Military Service Members – Therapist Manual | Wenzel, Brown, Carlin | 2011
- Cognitive behaviour therapy for depression in young people: manual for therapists | Improving Mood with Psychoanalytic and Cognitive Therapies (IMPACT) Study CBT Sub-Group | 2010
- Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Group Program For Depression | Milner, Tischler, DeSena, Rimer
- Manual for group cognitive-behavioral therapy of major depression: a reality management approach (Instructor’s manual) | Muñoz, Ippen, Rao, Le, Dwyer | 2000
- Individual therapy manual for cognitive-behavioural treatment of depression | Ricardo Muñoz, Jeanne Miranda | 1996
- Depression In Adults: Recognition And Management | National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines | 2009
Worksheets
-
Depression (Worksheets)
| Centre For Clinical Interventions
- Symptoms of Depression
- Behavioural Activation
- My Behavioural Antidepressants
- Weekly Activity Schedule
- Weekly Goals Record
- Making the Connection (Between Thoughts and Feelings)
- Thought Diary 1
- Thought Diary 2
- Thought Diary 3
- Thought Diary (Tri-fold)
- Core Beliefs Worksheet
- Healthy Me
- Goal Setting (End of Therapy)
Recommended Reading
- Behavioural activation treatment for depression: returning to contextual roots | Jacobson, Martell, Dimidjian | 2001
What Is Depression?
Signs and Symptoms of Depression
To meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder an individual must have experienced five of the following symptoms for at least two weeks:
- a depressed mood that is present most of the day, nearly every day
- diminished interest in activities which were previously experienced as pleasurable
- fatigue or a loss of energy
- sleep disturbance (insomnia or hypersomnia)
- feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or excessive guilt
- a diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
- recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or suicidal behavior
- changes in appetite marked by a corresponding weight change
- psychomotor agitation or retardation to a degree which is observable by others
Psychological Models and Theory of Depression
Beck’s cognitive theory of depression (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) forms the basis for cognitive behavioral approaches for the treatment of depression. Beck’s theory proposes that there are different levels of cognition that can be dysfunctional in depression: core beliefs, rules and assumptions, and negative automatic thoughts. CBT aims to balance negatively biased cognition with more rational and accurate thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions. CBT also systematically aims to increase levels of rewarding activity.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) proposes that distress, including symptoms of depression, are the result of psychological inflexibility (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, & Lillis, 2006). Indicators of psychological inflexibility include:
- ‘buying in’ to negative thoughts and narratives;
- engaging in worry or rumination that takes us away from the present moment;
- losing contact with our values—what is important to us.
Evidence-Based Psychological Approaches for Working with Depression
Many psychological therapies have an evidence base for working with depression:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Behavioral activation (BA)
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for preventing relapse
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
Resources for Working with Depression
Psychology Tools resources available for working therapeutically with depression may include:
- psychological models of depression
- information handouts for depression
- exercises for depression
- CBT worksheets for depression
- self-help programs for depression
References
- Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press.
- Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. BehaviourResearch and Therapy, 44(1), 1–25.