Transdiagnostic cognitive processes such as perfectionism, rumination, and self-compassion contribute to the onset and maintenance of emotional disorders across diagnostic categories. This presentation integrates a sequence of empirical and clinical studies conducted in India examining how these processes interact and how they may be modified in therapy.
In an early investigation with individuals with primary anxiety disorders, rumination was found to mediate the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and depressive symptoms, highlighting repetitive negative thinking as a common mechanism across disorders. Self-compassion emerged as a negative predictor of rumination, procrastination and anxiety, suggesting its potential as a protective factor against maladaptive cognitive and behavioral patterns. Extending these findings to clinical practice, two detailed case reports illustrate the use of rumination-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (RFCBT) with Indian adults experiencing comorbid anxiety and depression. These interventions, which explicitly targeted perfectionistic self-criticism and perseverative thinking, resulted in reductions in rumination, worry and symptoms of depression and anxiety alongside improved functioning.
Together, these studies trace a coherent trajectory from identifying transdiagnostic mechanisms to applying them in culturally sensitive therapeutic contexts. Findings underscore the importance of addressing repetitive negative thinking as mechanism of change in cognitive-behavioral interventions for emotional disorders in India.