Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression

This volume will be of use to researchers and students of clinical psychology and psychopathology as well as mental health practitioners from a range of backgrounds. Recurrence of depressive episodes is not uncommon, even after successful treatment. What makes some people more vulnerable than others to this devastating disorder? Do depressive individuals have characteristic thinking and reasoning styles? By what means can cognitive antecedents to affective disorders be identified at different stages in the lifespan, and how can the risks they represent be mitigated? An important resource for anyone who seeks to understand or treat depression, this volume synthesizes the most current research and theory on cognitive vulnerability. Covering methodological, theoretical, and empirical issues, the authors review cognitive theories of depression; explicate and assess the vulnerability approach to psychopathology; and formulate an integrative view of the key proximal and distal antecedents of depression in adults. This volume will be of use to researchers and students of clinical psychology and psychopathology as well as mental health practitioners from a range of backgrounds.