灾难性是有人认为最糟糕的事情会发生。通常，它涉及相信你的情况比你真的或夸大你所面临的困难。

For example, someone might担心他们会失败考试。从那里，他们可能假设失败考试意味着他们是一个坏学生，并一定是永不通过，获得学位，或找工作。他们可能会得出结论，这意味着他们永远不会在经济上稳定。

许多成功的人都有失败的考试，并且未能考试不是证据表明你无法找到工作。一个灾难性的人可能无法承认这一点。

很容易把over-exagg小题大作eration, but it’s often not intentional or that simple. People who do it often don’t realize they’re doing it. They may feel they have no control over their worries, and it can even impact their health. Fortunately, effective treatments exist.

目前尚不清楚灾难性的究竟是什么。它可能是一个人生命中的家庭或其他重要人物的应对机制。它可能是经验的结果，或者可能与大脑化学有关。

Research involving people who catastrophize and who also have chronic pain suggest they may have alterations in the hypothalamus and pituitary responses, as well as increased activity in the parts of the brain that register emotions associated with pain.

People who have other conditions such as depression and anxiety, and people who are often fatigued may also be more likely to catastrophize.

慢性疼痛

慢性疼痛和灾难性的组合经常发生并被广泛研究。

Because someone with chronic pain is used to constantly being in pain, they might conclude that they’ll never get better and will always feel discomfort. This fear may lead them to behave certain ways, such as avoiding physical activity, which rather than protecting them, can ultimately make their symptoms worse.

一种 2011 review 痛苦，抑郁和灾难性看着有风湿病的参与者。它发现灾难性的患者报告疼痛的严重程度增加。其他2011 reviewhad a similar conclusion, suggesting that addressing catastrophizing is important when treating chronic pain.

然而，这并不意味着不应该认真对待慢性疼痛。灾难性与夸张痛苦不一样。一种 2009 study on chronic pain and catastrophizing found that catastrophizing is more than just psychological — it affects the physiology of the brain. As such, it should be taken very seriously.

焦虑症和抑郁症

Catastrophizing is associated with depression as well as anxiety disorders such asgeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD),PTSD.， 和OCD.

一种2015 studylooked at 2,802 teenagers and found that those who tended to catastrophize were more likely to have anxiety disorders.

一种2012 study发现灾难性与儿童的焦虑和抑郁症相关联，特别是在三年级或年轻人中的儿童中。控制焦虑，表明抑郁和灾难性之间存在强有力的关系。作者得出结论，这是因为假设最坏的情况会导致绝望的感受。不断感到无望可能导致抑郁症。

疲劳

一种 2012 review of studies showed that there’s a link between fatigue and catastrophizing. The review concluded that catastrophizing could be a predictor of how tired people feel. In other words, it can make fatigue worse. That said, the review looked at a small number of people, and more research is needed.

治疗

由于灾难性与精神疾病密切相关，因此治疗可以有效治疗灾难性，这并不奇怪。认知行为治疗, or CBT, is one of the most common forms of talk therapy. A 2017年研究 found that CBT was effective at addressing catastrophizing in fibromyalgia patients, and that it helped them better manage their pain.

CBT tries to address your thinking and behavioral patterns. In the case of catastrophizing, your therapist might help you recognize irrational thoughts and replace them with rational ones.

例如，您可能习惯于思考，“我迟到了这份报告。我是一个总失败，我会失去工作。我将在经济上贫困。“通过CBT，您将认识到这是一种非理性的思想。你的治疗师可以帮助你取代这一点，“我迟到了这份报告。如果我为此道歉，我的老板就会理解。她不会因为这个错误而发射我。我会没事的。“

介意

如果你经常发现自己灾难性，介意may be helpful. It might help you recognize which thoughts are irrational and can help you control your thoughts.

许多研究表明，心灵可以治疗或减少灾难性。一种2017年研究关于纤维肌痛的人发现，心灵可以帮助。

Medication

If your catastrophizing is linked to another condition, such as depression, your doctor might prescribe medication for that underlying condition. That said, there’s no medicine that specifically treats catastrophizing.

灾难性是许多精神疾病的症状，它会影响你的生活质量。虽然它可能会感到压倒性，但有很多方法可以治疗灾难性。如果你认为你有灾难性的倾向，请与心理学家或治疗师交谈。