The CBT “vicious circle”

This is the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) vicious circle.  The gist of it is that all of these things reinforce each other.  So when you’re down, you start thinking negative reinforcing thoughts, like, “everyone hates me,” and you don’t socialize so you feel more tired and depressed and that causes more thoughts, etc.

This works for mania and hypomania, too.  Instead of thinking negative things, you’re giving yourself the positive affirmation of “I am awesome at everything!” and not sleeping, taking on too many tasks, and all the rest.

What I found interesting is that psychiatry tends to intervene with medication on the physical point, while CBT tries to intervene on both the thinking and behavior sections.  It’s all about breaking the chain.  Being aware of it is the first step.

“Knowing is half the battle!”  – G.I. Joe