title: Beyond words: sensory properties of depressive thoughts.
abstract: Verbal thoughts (such as negative cognitions) and sensory phenomena (such as visual mental imagery) are usually conceptualised as distinct mental experiences. The present study examined to what extent depressive thoughts are accompanied by sensory experiences and how this is associated with symptom severity, insight of illness and quality of life. A large sample of mildly to moderately depressed patients (N = 356) was recruited from multiple sources and asked about sensory properties of their depressive thoughts in an online study. Diagnostic status and symptom severity were established over a telephone interview with trained raters. Sensory properties of negative thoughts were reported by 56.5% of the sample (i.e., sensation in at least one sensory modality). The highest prevalence was seen for bodily (39.6%) followed by auditory (30.6%) and visual (27.2%) sensations. Patients reporting sensory properties of thoughts showed more severe psychopathological symptoms than those who did not. The degree of perceptuality was marginally associated with quality of life. The findings support the notion that depressive thoughts are not only verbal but commonly accompanied by sensory experiences. The perceptuality of depressive thoughts and the resulting sense of authenticity may contribute to the emotional impact and pervasiveness of such thoughts, making them difficult to dismiss for their holder.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Hamburg , Hamburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.forename: Claudia Cecile
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hörmann
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Gitta A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Emily A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Späth
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hautzinger
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Jan Philipp
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; Hallucinations; Mental imagery; Rumination; Sensory processing; Vividness