Cognitive Distortion Case Study

When she wasn’t focused on drinking, her addiction turned to self-loathing in a different form of control. Anorexia. At her lowest weight of 80 pounds, she had gone through months of using food and exercise as forms of self-control, much like the way she used alcohol in the most destructive way, she was trying to cure, medicate or eliminate the feelings of self-hatred, shyness and anxiety that loomed over her like a dark cloud.

Since schemas often start in childhood, the thought process of the client may reflect early errors in reasoning. This contributes to clients developing cognitive distortions. There are many common cognitive distortions that include mind reading, catastrophizing, overgeneralization, negative prediction, and many more. If these distortions are frequently used than it is possible that someone will develop a psychological disorder such as depression or anxiety.

Cognitive distortions are overgeneralisation, dichotomous thinking and personalisation (McLeod 2008). These distortions reduce the persons ability to process information (Mcleod 2008). Research suggests that cognitive distortions are part of the way everybody handles difficult situations, therefore should they be regarded as causes of emotional problems? (Mcleod, Pg.145).

She uses words like “petite” and “skinny” to describe those figures. The main point is how negatively she vies her doctors for calling her out on her weight she even goes so far to say that her doctors “bully” her about her weight, but maybe the doctor is just concerned about what all the extra weight is doing to her health because sometimes being overweight or even obese can cause serious health problems. She talks about how her doctors suggest things like Bariatric Surgery which is a surgical procedure performed to help people lose weight, the doctor tells her that “the weight just flies off” (Bogart). The doctors may sound harsh but she makes the out to be such horrible people who do not care about but in reality they are just trying to help her

In the story "The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus, we meet Louise who has been struggling with her weight since the age of nine. Her mother is extremely outspoken and tells her that she has a problem. She would say “You must watch what you eat”(Dubus 158).Her mother was

Ms. E’s desires a faster weight loss than that recommended and as a hypnotherapist, I must encourage her to lose weight at a healthier manageable and realistic rate.

The thought of a diet has crossed the mind of many females. Maybe she wants to lose a few pounds to fit in her prom dress, or get back down to her college size. However, what if the mental capacity of that person, would not let them end the diet. In her mind she is still fat, even if she weighed only ninety pounds, this happens to a female with Anorexia Nervous (AN).

Keeping in mind that she has always strove for perfection, some irrational thoughts and psychological symptoms have developed concerning her standards for both food consumption and weight. These irrational fears have led her to believe that food is bad, and since she is terribly scared of getting fat, she finds fulfillment by abiding by her restrictive diet and maintaining her abnormal weight by restricting food and using laxatives when necessary to avoid weight gain. It’s easy to see that Joan has developed an obsession with both food and her weight that has taken over her life. All of these psychological symptoms have also caused some social symptoms which have negatively impacted her relationships, mainly stemming from concern of friends and family which usually result in arguments about eating. Joan’s physiological systems are also reflecting concerning symptoms such as dry, inelastic skin, liver problems, unhealthy hair, dizziness, amenorrhea, and of course, excessive

The pressure to lose weight in today’s society inhibits the personality and health of overweight people while essentially increasing the weight of the people who experience these pressures (Worley 163-167). So reasons Mary Ray Worley in her article, “Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance.” Worley uses her personal experience as well as a small number of facts to dispute the reason overweight people struggle as they attempt to contribute to society (163-167). In the beginning of her article she references an association of which she is a member, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, to convey the possibilities to advance society when judgement based on size is abandoned (163-164). The association holds a conference every year, and Worley continually refers to the atmosphere at the convention as “another planet,” suggesting that the scarcity of judgment during the convention differed significantly from her everyday experiences (163-164, 167). Applying her encounters to all people of her weight category, she declares that even doctors blame the majority of sicknesses on weight (165). She also proclaims that people should not diet and exercise in order to lose weight, as this triggers loss of motivation without results, but to improve their attitude and mood (166). Referencing Dr. Diane Budd from the convention, she states that attempts to lose weight cause “lasting harmful effects on one’s appetite, metabolism, and self-esteem” (164). While Worley’s

The pressure to lose weight in today’s society inhibits the personality and health of overweight people while essentially increasing the weight of the people who experience these pressures (Worley 163-167). So reasons Mary Ray Worley in her article, “Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance.” Worley uses her personal experience as well as a small number of facts to dispute why overweight people struggle as they attempt to contribute to society (163-167). In the beginning of her article she references an association of which she is a member, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, to convey the possibilities to advance society when judgement based on size is abandoned (163-164). The association holds a conference every year, and Worley continually refers to the atmosphere at the convention as “another planet,” suggesting that the scarcity of judgment during the convention differed significantly from her everyday experiences (163-164, 167). Applying her encounters to all people of her weight category, she declares that even doctors blame the majority of sicknesses on weight (165). She also proclaims that people should not diet and exercise in order to lose weight, as this triggers loss of motivation without results, but to improve their attitude and mood (166). Referencing Dr. Diane Budd from the convention, she states that attempts to lose weight cause “lasting harmful effects on one’s appetite, metabolism, and self-esteem” (164). While Worley’s unjustifiable

Ever since my later adolescence years, I have always been intrigued by the diverse complexity of the human brain. Numerous days I have sat down obtrusively observing my surroundings just to satisfy my curiosity on how individuals think, reason and problem solve everyday life happenings. As such, when it was time to attend university, I decided to study psychology as a means of gaining knowledge and understanding about individuals’ cognitive processes and their behavior. During my undergraduate studies, for a particular reason, I was struck by Abnormal Psychology and spent hours thinking about the various disorders captured by the then Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV). I spent an awful lot of time trying to understand the differing disorders and how their impact on the behavior and thinking processes of individuals that are diagnosed with them.

These two quotes from her suggest that she feels a persistent feeling of depersonalization which gets progressively

I have found that I often fall victim to the “What Ifs” cognitive distortion; I frequently ruminate on what could happen or what I could have done differently in a particular situation. I have always been a very cautious individual and I sometimes obsess over how my decisions impact others and what others might think of my decisions or behavior. I feel that this has a lot to do with my childhood experiences and my drive to be the “perfect child”, which is of course is not possible and not expected. I was an over thinker who wanted to ensure that I did not cause my parents, the stress and heartache they had experienced as a result of the behavior of my older sister. There were also very high expectations that were set by my parents, as

As Brandy got into Oklahoma State University, she lost control of her disorder. She no longer had any normal eating habits. She is becoming quite miserable with herself, despite appearing to be thriving in everything she attempts at Oklahoma State. Her disorder has caused her to become susceptible to social pressures of thinness. She has finally sought

mindset of becoming thin is then triggered (Lintott, 2003). At times, even parents of younger