Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy – David D. Burns

When you are depressed, you invariably believe that you are worthless. The
worse the depression, the more you feel this way. You are not alone. A survey
by Dr. Aaron Beck revealed that over 80 percent of depressed patients expressed
self-dislike.* Furthermore, Dr. Beck found that depressed patients see
themselves as deficient in the very qualities they value most highly: intelligence,
achievement, popularity, attractiveness, health, and strength. He said a depressed
self-image can be characterized by the four D’s: You feel Defeated, Defective,
Deserted, and Deprived.
Almost all negative emotional reactions inflict their damage only as a result of
low self-esteem. A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a
trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal
defeat