For example, if your child has anxiety, you might personalize this, assuming it’s your fault, and then label yourself a “terrible parent.” Once you’ve learned the different types, try recognizing them in your own patterns of thought. The best way to start is with your own cognitive distortions, says DeRoche. Taking a cue from CBT, parents, too, can help kids recognize cognitive distortions, and reduce their intensity. DeRoche emphasizes that there’s a lot of overlap among them.ĬBT helps kids identify, challenge, and ultimately restructure their thinking so that they can live healthier, better adjusted lives. Here they are distilled into 11 common categories. But whether or not your child is in therapy, it can help to recognize and identify them when you see them. In cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), kids are taught to recognize common cognitive distortions that may be making them feel bad. I’ve never seen someone suffering under the weight of any kind of behavioral health problem who isn’t making cognitive errors quite regularly.” It’s when that kind of thinking is chronic and entrenched that the thoughts are likely doing a number on a child’s emotional life. “Some amount of cognitive distortion is normal,” says Jeff DeRoche, LCSW, a clinical social worker. Mental health experts call them cognitive distortions - they’re also sometimes referred to as cognitive errors, thinking mistakes, or thinking errors. These negative thinking patterns are often unrealistic, but they can have significant impacts on our emotions, behaviors, and world views. If she forgets a line in a school play, she may insist that she ruined the whole performance. If your daughter wasn’t invited to a birthday party, for example, she may decide that everyone who went to the party hates her. They can get stuck in negative thinking patterns that contribute to depression, amp up their anxiety, or make painful emotions feel overwhelming. This is particularly true for kids with mental health disorders, who may be especially down on themselves. If you notice that your child makes a lot of cognitive distortions and gets very emotional about them, getting support from a mental health professional can also help.Ĭhildren can be their own worst critics. The goal is for kids to understand that we all make thinking mistakes sometimes and learn how to correct them. You can practice noticing negative thinking together. Learning about cognitive distortions and talking about them with your kids can help them think more positively. They might think they caused things that they didn’t: “My parents are getting divorced because I cause too much trouble.” It’s also common for kids to view things as proof that there’s something wrong with them. They may also focus on bad things (like one kid being mean) instead of good ones (like lots of other kids being nice). For example, a child might think they know others’ thoughts (“I’m sure they think I’m stupid!”) or what will happen in the future (“I’m never going to get better at math.”). Several common cognitive distortions have to do with believing you know things that are impossible to know. For instance, a child might think that if they don’t get perfect grades, they’re a terrible student. One is all-or-nothing thinking, where kids think that one bad thing means that everything is bad. Mental health experts have identified several common cognitive distortions. Learning how to recognize cognitive distortions can make it easier for kids to think more positively and feel better about themselves. Cognitive distortions are basically thinking mistakes. Repeated patterns of unrealistic negative thinking are called cognitive distortions. They can get stuck in negative thinking patterns that may make depression, anxiety and upsetting feelings even worse. Kids can be hard on themselves - especially kids with mental health challenges.
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