Cognitive Vulnerability To Depression

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.

Table of Contents:
Preface. The Cognitive Approach to Psychopathology. Depression: An Overview. Cognitive Theories of Depression. Vulnerability Approaches to Psychopathology. Conceptual Issues in the Study of Cognitive Vulnerability. Methodological Strategies and Issues in the Study of Proximal Vulnerability. Cognitive Theory and Data on Proximal Vulnerability. Methodological Strategies and Issues in the Study of Distal Vulnerability. Cognitive Theory and Data on Distal Vulnerability. Proximal and Distal Perspectives: An Integrative Approach to Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression.

About the Author :
NOTE: bio needs updating, Ingram is now at U Kansas (2004) Rick E. Ingram, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, a core faculty member in the San Diego State University/University of California at San Diego Doctoral Training Program in Clinical Psychology, and current Editor of Cognitive Therapy and Research. Dr. Ingram received the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions to Psychology in 1990, and received outstanding faculty awards at San Diego State University in 1992 and 1994. Jeanne Miranda, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center. The author of numerous articles on the cognitive processes underlying depression, her current research interests include the treatment of depression in low-income young women and members of other disadvantaged groups. Zindel V. Segal, PhD, is Head of the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Unit at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Toronto. He is also the Head of Psychotherapy Research for the Psychotherapy Program in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Segal is an Associate Editor for Cognitive Therapy and Research and serves on the editorial broads of a number of other journals. His research interests lie in the study of cognitive vulnerability to relapse in major depressive disorder, information processing and psychopathology, and the integration of mindfulness meditative practices with cognitive therapy.

Review :
"Provide[s] intriguing leads to the question of what variables place patients at cognitive risk to develop depression or experience a relapse following their recovery....In their review of the empirical literature on cognitive models of vulnerability, the authors demonstrate that there is good support for a number of core premises....This volume presents a refreshing perspective on the psychology of depression." --From the Foreword by Aaron T. Beck, MD "Three noted experts in the study of cognitive vulnerability to depression provide a comprehensive overview of theory and data in this burgeoning field. The scope of the research reviewed here is truly massive, ranging from evolutionary factors to daily hassles. This volume is indispensable for researchers, theorists, and students working in this important area." --Jackie Persons, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco "This book does the important job of bringing together, in one volume, the extensive literature on cognitive vulnerability to depression. Going beyond simply reviewing the evidence, the authors critically examine the research designs that can (and cannot) answer crucial questions in the field. A much-needed synthesis, the book provides a wealth of information for students who want to learn how best to use experimental cognitive paradigms to study important clinical questions." --Professor Mark Williams, PhD, Institute of Medical and Social Care Research, University of Wales, UK. "Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression brings together three of the premier cognitive psychopathologists in the study of the affective disorders. They have between them provided a work that is a real tour-de-force, a work that may well become a modern classic in the area. The book provides an excellent description of the nature of cognition and its relation to depression that is both clinically sophisticated and well grounded in underlying information-processing theory. It is one of the most valuable texts on the subject that I have seen. I recommend it most enthusiastically." --Steven D. Hollon, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University "Primarily for clinical scientists and students in doctoral research programs, this landmark volume examines the most current and comprehensive theories of depression vulnerability and evaluates the existing empirical landscape....This book represents a true milestone in the application of scientific rigor and clinical insight to the problem of depression, and should not be missed by anyone serious about treating or understanding depression....This book is an outstanding resource for both professional and students." -- Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy , .."a state-of-the-science book....it is clearly an important work and should be required reading for all researchers, scholars, and students interested in this area. It will certainly inform future experimental work on vulnerability to depression, cognitive or otherwise, and will stimulate new thinking and theorizing in this area." -- Psychiatric Services "The style of writing is consistently high and the transitions are very good, indicative of excellent editing. This text is highly appropriate for senior undergraduate students obtaining an exposure to the field of vulnerability models of depression and really should be considered required reading at the graduate level for students and researchers in this domain....this is a timely, well-written, and cogently argued book that offers a thorough examination of cognitive vulnerability to depression. It ought to become required reading, and is highly recommended to students and researchers working in the area." -- Canadian Psychology , .."valuable to a broad range ofaudiences....a major and important achievement. The book brings together in one place the many streams of research on cognition and depression that have flowed, often quite independently, for the past 20 years or so, and places them into a framework that at once shows their relations to each other and points clearly to what still needs to be known. If a student or colleague were to ask me for a single source with which to update their knowledge of cognition and depression, I would recommend this book." -- Contemporary Psychology APA Review of Books