Cognitive distortions can reinforce negative emotions and contribute to the development and persistence of mental health disorders. By causing people to interpret events in overly pessimistic, self-critical, or irrational ways, these thinking patterns can increase feelings of anxiety, sadness, guilt, anger, or hopelessness. Over time repeated cognitive distortions may strengthen unhelpful beliefs about oneself, others, and the world, making emotional distress more difficult to overcome.
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