A New frontier in assessing functional and cognitive impediments in psychiatric disorders and avenues for mitigation and treatment: a special issue about rumination, cognitive performance, and depressive symptoms

In this introduction to this special issue, we describe how rumination (habitual, negative, perseverative thought processes) plays a critical role in the experience of depression and anxiety, the cognitive decrements common to these disorders, and daily functioning. We argue that the traditional concept of depression as a functional disorder is limiting, given what is now known about brain processes underlying depression, in addition to the impact of psychological mechanisms like rumination on cognitive functioning. We go on to summarize the seven original empirical studies that compose this special issue. Together, these studies incorporate work across the lifespan and include multiple contexts and modalities in which depressive symptoms and rumination were meaningfully evaluated. We challenge researchers and clinicians alike to better understand the day-to-day cognitive implications and treatments for rumination. We conclude with recommendations for neuropsychologists in clinical practice that can be easily implemented to provide a better understanding of the role of rumination and other psychological mechanisms common to psychiatric disorders, including measures to include in a test battery and patient behaviors to look for. Ultimately, we hope that this issue can provide guidance for the treatment team, employers, educators, and family members affected by these conditions.