Effects of antidepressants on thinking styles in depressed inpatients

1. Clinical and empirical evidence point to distorted negative thinking during depressive episodes. 2. The present study, utilizing the Cognitions Questionnaire, examined the thinking styles in depressed inpatients prior to antidepressant pharmacotherapy and again 3-4 weeks after treatment. 3. Across the 5 dimensions of thinking assessed, only generalization across situation changed significantly in the drug-respondent group. 4. While clinically, short-term antidepressant treatment was shown to be efficacious, it only changed cognitions in a limited way.