Primed irrational beliefs of formerly depressed and never depressed individuals

The Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) theory of depression proposes that recurrent major depressive episodes are mediated by persistent, trait-like irrationality about aversive life circumstances. However, recent research has found an excess of irrational beliefs in individuals with major depression only during--not between--major depressive episodes, suggesting that excess irrationality is a noncausal correlate of the episodes. Two explanations for the absence of interepisode irrational beliefs among recovered-depressed individuals could preserve the core of the REBT theory: First, perhaps excess irrationality among such individuals becomes latent between depressive episodes, and is reactivated only when or if circumstances again conflict with the individual's fundamental goals in life. Second, perhaps only individuals with a history of recurrent depressive episodes are characterized by trait-like irrationality; single-episode major depression may be more heterogeneous with regard to presence or absence of an underlying, trait-like vulnerability. These possibilities were tested by measuring the primed and unprimed irrational beliefs of 25 recovered-depressed (RD) individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of major depressive disorder (based on a DSM-IV structured clinical interview), and 25 never-depressed (ND) individuals. The RD and ND groups did not differ in mean irrationality at baseline; while imagining general negative events; or while imagining events that represented a thwarting of personal, fundamental goals. But consistent with latent trait-like irrationality, RD participants did exhibit a unique direct correlation between irrational beliefs and baseline negative mood. Furthermore, RD participants with a history of three or more major depressive episodes exhibited uniquely elevated irrational beliefs at baseline. Recommendations for future research include more intense, idiographic stimuli to simulate the thwarting of "fundamental goals"; measurement of primed irrational beliefs prior to initial mood episode; and exploration of alternative causal pathways for the observed association between history of repeated depressive episodes and irrational beliefs.