  How to Challenge Unhelpful Thoughts
"When we feel anxious or depressed we tend to think in a distorted, often illogical way. Everybody thinks in this kind of way some of the time, but if we allow our distorted thoughts to shape how we feel, then we are guaranteed to feel worse rather than better..."
This fact sheet provides a four-step, practical guide to reshaping negative to positive thoughts - centred around personal analysis of the thought itself. Although intended for cancer patients, this fact sheet would be equally applicable to other patients as well as health professionals more generally.
Unhelpful thinking patterns identified in the fast fact sheet:
- Black-and-white thinking;
- Overgeneralising;
- Mind-reading;
- Catastrophising; etc.
This fact sheet is sourced from Ausmed Publications' textbook: 'Psychosocial Care of Cancer Patients: A health professional's guide to what to say and do', editors Dr Jemma Gilchrist & Dr Katharine Hodgkinson, (2008) chapter seven: 'Depression', by Mandy MacDonald.
Author: Mandy MacDonald
Mandy MacDonald is a clinical psychologist with clinical experience both in Australia and in the United Kingdom, and is a member of the Clinical College of the Australian Psychological Society. She has nine years' experience working in psycho-oncology at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney within both liason psychiatry services and, in more recent years, through the establishment of a dedicated clinical psychology service in oncology patients and their loved ones. In her current appointment she provies in-patient and out-patient care to medical oncology, radiation oncology and haematology patients. In addition, Mandy provides education, training and supervision to a broad range of oncology professionals and has been involved in teaching through psycho-educative DVD material. She has a longstanding interest in the development and delivery of comprehensive, multidisciplinary psychosocial care to hospital-based patients.
|
Resources 
