A cognitive distortion involving the tendency to imagine and focus on the worst possible outcomes of situations, often magnifying problems and expecting disaster. This thinking pattern is commonly seen in anxiety disorders, depression, and chronic pain conditions.
From Greek 'katastrophe' (overturning, sudden turn) combined with the suffix '-izing'. The term entered psychological literature in the 1960s through cognitive therapy research, describing how negative thought patterns contribute to emotional distress.
Catastrophizing actually changes pain perception in the brain - neuroimaging studies show that people who catastrophize about pain show increased activity in brain regions associated with threat detection and emotional processing, making them literally feel more pain. This mind-body connection explains why cognitive interventions can be as effective as medication for some chronic pain conditions.
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