title: Comparison of automatical thoughts among generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and generalized social phobia patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Automatic thoughts are measurable cognitive markers of the psychopathology and coping styles of individuals. This study measured and compared the automatic thoughts of patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized social phobia (GSP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two patients with GAD, 53 with MDD, and 50 with GSP and 52 healthy controls completed the validated Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) and a structured psychiatric interview. Patients with GAD, MDD, and GSP also completed the validated Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) to determine the severity of their illnesses. All scales were completed before treatment and after diagnosis. The ATQ scores of all pairs of groups were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ATQ scores of the GAD, MDD, and GSP groups were significantly higher than were those of the control group. We also found significant correlations among scores on the GAD-7, BDI, and LSAS. The mean age of patients with GSP was lower than was that of the other groups (30.90 ± 8.35).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significantly higher ATQ scores of the MDD, GAD, and GSP groups, compared with the control group, underscore the common cognitive psychopathology characterizing these three disorders. This finding confirms that similar cognitive therapy approaches should be effective for these patients. This study is the first to compare GAD, MDD, and GSP from a cognitive perspective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Bozok University Medical Faculty, Yozgat, Turkey. gali3366@gmail.com.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Gül
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simsek
authors.forename: Ö
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Karaaslan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inanir
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult