Anxiety is a normal part of life, but sometimes it can get out of hand. One of the ways it does that is when affected individuals end up catastrophizing, essentially, people thinking that the worst-case scenario will come into motion. While it tends to be a symptom of anxiety and depression, it can itself be a hard case to lay off, and precisely due to that, it should be focused upon, which is essentially the focal point of the words that you will see below, along with the discussion of catastrophizing symptoms. Let’s begin:
Why Do I Catastrophize?
To start with, one of the greatest examples of catastrophizing is that you will not be able to complete a task relating to your work. That‘s pretty normal to worry about, but when you start to exaggerate that you are primed to fail that task for one reason or another, or perhaps, something will happen that will be a hindrance to the task at hand, then that is catastrophizing.
Catastrophization of thoughts essentially involves thinking about the worst-case scenario, whatever choice you will make, and exaggerating the difficulties that you, as an affected individual, are stuck in. While it’s not a mental health condition, it can be a part of it, which we mentioned before. You tend to have a higher risk for catastrophizing if you’ve experienced traumatic events or seen those around you go through similar thought processes. It is frequently seen in mental conditions such as depression. But still, it’s not a mental condition, as it is more of a way of thinking known as a cognitive distortion. Any thought can be a cognitive distortion when it is not based on facts or when those facts are essentially distorted by exaggeration. This essentially represents the catastrophizing meaning.
How Does Catatrophizing Work?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), catastrophizing starts when you start thinking the worst possible outcome will occur in a situation or due to a choice you will make. Initially, it will be slow to catch up as it starts small. It starts as a small thought, and then from there onward, it rapidly escalates. While it is often the result of different mental conditions, it is also capable of causing ailments, anxiety, depression, and chronic stress.
Examples of catastrophizing include how, when your significant other cancels your plans with a good excuse or an emergency, but you start exaggerating your thoughts to the point where you are thinking that your significant other does not care about you anymore. If this does not fare well and you do not treat it on a timely basis, then you risk it needing treatment such as psychiatric medication management due to how it can lead to worse ailments, such as eating disorders and panic attacks.
What Causes Us To Catastrophize?
The causes of catastrophizing are unclear at the moment. With more studies on the subject matter, that could be changed. Although experts do believe it usually develops as a coping mechanism for different ailments, which they learn from important people in their lives, especially parents. This way we can pinpoint it as learnt behavior or inherited from brain chemistry.
On the other hand, research such as the one done by Galambos et al. (2019) suggests that the cause of catastrophizing can be attributed to alterations in the thalamus and prefrontal cortex, as well as increased activity in the parts of the brain that register emotions associated with pain. People who are fatigued due to anxiety and depression also tend to practice catastrophizing more than normal people do.
Other Conditions Associated With Catastrophizing Anxiety
There are other ailments that are associated with catastrophizing:
Chronic pain
The combination of chronic pain and catastrophizing is also not a great concoction. The constant and persistent pain the affected individual goes through makes them believe that they will never recover and are bound to chronic pain. This is when catastrophizing kicks in. People who catastrophize report an increase in the severity of their pain, worse post-op outcomes, and needing to use healthcare services more often (Petrini, 2020).
Anxiety and Depressive disorders
Disorders such as OCD and PTSD are also associated with catastrophizing. Research has concluded that people with anxiety tend to have a genetic predisposition to developing catastrophizing tendencies, and also the other way around (Burri et al., 2018).
A 2019 study (Miller et al., 2018) also linked catastrophizing with anxiety and depressive disorders, such as bipolar disorder. There is also a strong correlation between catastrophizing and ailments like depression.
Fatigue
The correlation between fatigue and incessant catastrophizing has been studied in a 2022 study (Sanromán et al., 2022). The findings in the aforementioned research highlight the importance of taking both catastrophizing and fatigue into account when forming a treatment plan for chronic pain patients.
Treatment of Catastrophization
What is catastrophizing without ailments like anxiety or depression? Even if it was psychosis, we should go after the real culprits. And these ailments are treatable via treatment options such as psychotherapy or telehealth psychiatry. Medications via a service like psychiatric medication management can also help in keeping the catastrophizing symptoms at bay. Additionally, lifestyle changes such as exercising and better sleep, all of which can help reduce anxiety and depression (which are often the cause of catastrophizing), can also help in this regard.
Wrapping Up!
We have talked about what catastrophizing is and how it can be prevented. Additionally, we have talked about the causes and treatment methods related to it, all of which are available at the Inland Empire Behavioral Group. So, why not book an appointment today?
