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.

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.