Self and Mental Disorders: Cognitive Mechanisms and Compassionate Interventions

Research indicates that self-processing—the way individuals process information related to themselves—plays a pivotal role in the development and maintenance of mental disorders. Maladaptive self-processing is central to conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and psychosis. Individuals with mental disorders often exhibit distorted self-representations and negative self-schemas, which contribute to cognitive biases, rumination, and emotional dysregulation. These disruptions in self-processing may further hinder emotional regulation and exacerbate symptoms, creating a vicious cycle that impairs recovery.

Self-compassion, an intervention that encourages individuals to treat themselves with kindness and understanding during times of personal difficulty, has emerged as a promising tool that may modify maladaptive self-processing. Evidence suggests that cultivating self-compassion may reduce negative self-judgments and self-criticisms, enhance emotional resilience, and facilitate healthier coping strategies. As a result, self-compassion may be a powerful treatment for reducing the severity of mental disorders and improving recovery outcomes.

This research topic explores the relationship between self-processing and mental disorders, as well as the potential role of self-compassion interventions. We welcome research understanding how maladaptive self-processing contributes to the onset, progression, and outcome of mental disorders, and how interventions targeting self-processing—particularly self-compassion—can offer therapeutic benefits. Additionally, the issue addresses how early interventions enhancing self-compassion and positive self-processing might prevent or mitigate mental health difficulties.

While the primary focus is on self-processing and self-compassion, we also welcome submissions addressing related concepts, including self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-worth, self-identity, and self-regulation, as well as interventions targeting these cognitive processes. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how various aspects of self-related cognition influence mental health and how these can be addressed through psychological interventions.

We welcome Original Research and Review papers that provide insights and evidence on self-processing, self-compassion, and other self-related cognitive processes in the context of mental disorders. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

· The role of self-processing in the development and progression of mental disorders.

· The impact of maladaptive self-processing on cognitive biases, emotional regulation, and symptom severity in mental disorders.

· The effectiveness of self-compassion interventions in modifying self-processing and alleviating symptoms of mental disorders.

· The role of self-compassion in preventing the onset of mental health difficulties and promoting early recovery.

· The mechanisms through which self-compassion influences self-processing, self-esteem, self-worth, and maladaptive schemas in mental disorders.

· The relationship between self-processing and symptoms in specific mental disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, personality disorders, psychosis).

· Comparative analysis of self-processing and self-compassion across clinical, nonclinical, and control groups.

· The predictive value of self-processing and self-compassion for mental disorder symptoms and recovery trajectories.

· Exploring other self-related cognitive processes (e.g., self-esteem, self-efficacy) and their role in mental health and disorder progression.

By exploring these areas, this research topic aims to advance understanding of how self-processing and other self-related cognitive processes influence mental disorders and how interventions like self-compassion, among others, can reshape these processes to improve mental health outcomes.