Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (CD-Quest)
Assess the frequency and intensity of 15 common thinking traps over the past week
Your brain can play tricks on you. We all have automatic thinking patterns that quietly distort how we see reality. The CD-Quest walks you through 15 common cognitive distortions—all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, mind reading, and more—and asks how often each showed up over the past week and how intense it felt. Takes about 10-15 minutes. Note: This is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument.
What Is the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (CD-Quest)?
Your brain has automatic shortcuts — some helpful, some not. The CD-Quest (de Oliveira, 2014) maps out 15 common cognitive distortions so you can see which thinking patterns show up most often and how much they affect you. Each of the 15 items tracks both frequency and intensity over the past week.
What Does the CD-Quest Measure?
The CD-Quest covers 15 cognitive distortions, each assessed by one item:
* Frequency: how often the thinking pattern occurred in the past week * Intensity: how strongly it affected you when it occurred
These 15 distortions cover core concepts from Beck's cognitive theory, including all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, discounting the positive, emotional reasoning, and more.
Psychometric Properties
* Internal consistency: Cronbach's α = 0.88 (single-factor) * Test-retest reliability: ICC = 0.80 (30-day interval) * Correlation with BDI: r = 0.50-0.60 * Correlation with BAI: r = 0.40-0.50
Scoring
Each item uses a 0-5 dual-dimension scale:
* 0 = "Not at all" * 1 = "Occasional & mild" * 2 = "Occasional & intense" * 3 = "Frequent & mild" * 4 = "Frequent & intense" * 5 = "Almost always & intense"
Total score range 0-75. Higher scores indicate more severe cognitive distortions.
Important Note
The CD-Quest is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument. If you are concerned about your results, please consult a mental health professional for a comprehensive evaluation.
Scoring Guide
Total score=sum of 15 items (0-5 each), range 0-75. Higher scores indicate more frequent cognitive distortions. Severity: 0-15 mild, 16-30 moderate, 31-45 moderately severe, 46-75 severe. Single-factor, α=.88 (Morrison et al., 2015).Result Interpretation
After completing the 15 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.