Role of irrational beliefs in depression and anxiety: a review

Irrational beliefs play a central role in cognitive theory and therapy; they have been shown to be related to a variety of disorders such as depression and anxiety. Irrational beliefs, which can be assessed via clinical interviewing techniques, are frequently assessed by self-report measures, both clinically and for research purposes. Much of the research demonstrating the effect of irrational beliefs has utilized such measures. The present article reviews the empirical work on irrational beliefs assessment and identifies 25 scales and techniques. The measures are organized according to their theoretical affiliation (i.e., either the Ellis or Beck model), with the goal of providing investigators a source to identify the available tests, their shortcomings, and potential applications. The authors conclude with recommendations which would strengthen empirical cohesion and precision in the measurement of irrational beliefs.