Beck's cognitive model of depression proposes that depressive symptoms arise from systematic negative biases organised around a cognitive triad. The triad consists of negative views about:

• A Body, mind, and relationships
• B Mother, father, and self
• C Past, present, and future
• D Self, the world, and the future ✓

Explanation

Beck described the cognitive triad as negative automatic thoughts centred on the self (I am worthless), the world or environment (nothing around me is rewarding), and the future (things will never improve). Cognitive behavioural therapy targets these schemas and automatic thoughts. Option C is the commonest tempting error: although temporally framed thinking occurs, Beck explicitly framed the triad by domain (self, world, future), not by time period.

Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.

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