PRAKASH NEURO-PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOLOGY CENTRE

DYSFUNCTIONAL THOUGHTS RECORD

Instructions: As soon as you notice your mood getting worse, ask yourself: What is going on in my mind right now? And as soon as possible
jot down the thought or mental image in the Automatic thought column. Identify, then, what emotions, feelings or mood state you felt when you
had this thought. Then check out how realistic or true these thoughts are and build a more rational answer, with alternative thoughts more
appropriate to the situation
DATE SITUATION AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS EMOTIONS: ALTERNATIVE / RATIONAL / RE-RATE
& Describe: (1) Write automatic thoughts that your (1) Specify- sad, ADAPTIVE RESPONSE (1) Re-rate belief in
TIME (1) Actual event leading mind is preoccupied during the anxious, angry etc (1) Use the questions below to automatic thoughts
to unpleasant distress/negative emotion(s) (2) Rate the intensity of compose the answers to the (after rational
emotion, or • These will be the “Hot” or most emotions 1-100% automatic thoughts response) 0-100%
(2) Stream of thoughts, prominent thoughts in your mind (2) If possible, assess and rate your (2) Specify and re-rate
daydream or at that point of time. belief in the rational response subsequent emotions
recollection, • These thoughts will be mostly 0-100% 0-100%
In which you got negative or troubling in content (3) Does your automatic thought
unpleasant emotion (2) If possible, assess and rate your belief resemble any cognitive distortion?
in the automatic thought(s) (Refer to the cognitive distortions
0-100% chart

In order to build the alternative response, try to answer these questions in your mind:
1) What is the evidence that the automatic thought is true? What is the evidence it is not true?
2) Are there any alternative explanations for the event or the alternative ways of seeing the situation?
3) Which are the implications, in case the thoughts are true? What is the worst thing of the situation? What is the most realistic one? What you may do
about it?