Patients with Major Depressive Disorder exhibit a specific pattern of irrational beliefs including demand for approval, frustration reactivity, anxious overconcern, and helplessness over past.
Distinct irrational belief patterns may characterize MDD; leaves open causal links and therapeutic value pending prospective trials.
In light of Rational-Emotive Theory, this study was undertaken to determine the pattern of irrational beliefs underlying Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). A total of 126 subjects (50 males, 76 females) volunteered to participate. Patients clinically diagnosed with MDD (unipolar type) and a control group of non-depressed patients were solicited from the inpatient and outpatient facilities of several Ottawa and Montreal hospitals; the normal control group comprised students and civil servants. The subjects completed questionnaires to measure irrational belief endorsement (IBT, RBI) and symptom severity (STAI, BDI) and to verify the depression diganosis (IDD). Multivariate statistics were used to determine the pattern of beliefs which best discriminates between the MDD group, the psychiatric control group, and the normal controls. Discriminant analysis of the IBT revealed a pattern of four irrational beliefs generally known as demand for approval, frustration reactivity, anxious overconcern, and helplessness over past. The implications of such findings for RET theory are discussed.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Prud'homme et al. (1992) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: