你知道嗎? 常說這些詞的人可能患了抑鬱症!大綱

Feeling down? Pay attention to your language.

心情不好？請注意一下自己說話的用詞偏好。

Language changes significantly in both content and word choice in people who are depressed, according to a growing body of research using computer programs to analyze speech and writing.

據越來越多使用計算機程序來分析口頭語和書面語的研究顯示，抑鬱症患者在內容表達的方式和措辭上，都會較患病前發生顯著變化。

People who are depressed tend to use the pronoun "I" more, indicating a greater focus on self. They also use "absolute" words like "must," "completely," "should" or "always," reflecting an overly black-or-white outlook.

他們往往用第一人稱代詞“我”比較多，這表明他們對自我關注較多。此外，他們還常用“必須”、“完全”、“應該”或“總是”這樣的“絕對詞”來反映非黑即白的觀點。

Scientists have long known that people change how they speak when they are depressed -- their speech becomes lower, more monotone and more labored, with more stops, starts and pauses. But newer studies, including several published this year, have found differences in the actual words depressed people use.

科學家很早就知道，人們在抑鬱後會改變說話方式--音量變低、語調單一、講話費力，並且出現更多說說停停和躊躇不言的情況。而最新研究發現（包括今年發佈的幾項研究），抑鬱症患者的用詞也不太一樣。

People who are depressed "don't see subtleties, and we can see this in the words they use," says James W. Pennebaker, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, who studies how language relates to a person's psychological state.

研究人們語言與心理狀態關係的德克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校心理學教授詹姆斯·W·佩尼貝克稱，抑鬱症患者“看不到微妙差異，這一點我們可以從他們的措辭上看出來。”

The study of computer-assisted language analysis for depression is still a nascent field, but apps and other technology that track language could eventually help doctors and patients identify a depressive episode more quickly.

針對抑鬱症的計算機化語言分析研究目前仍處於起步階段，但跟蹤語言的應用程序和其他技術最終可能會幫助醫生和患者更快地確定這是否預示着罹患抑鬱症。

Since there are no biological markers for depression as there are for cancer and other diseases, therapists currently have to rely on a patient's self-reported symptoms and on their own analysis to diagnose the disorder. Both can be highly subjective.

因爲抑鬱症不像癌症和其他疾病一樣有生物標記物，所以治療師目前在診斷抑鬱症時，不得不依賴患者對症狀的自述和治療師自己的分析判斷，而這兩者都可能過於主觀。

The apparent suicides of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain last week underscore just how challenging it can be to identify and treat depression.

設計師凱特·絲蓓和名廚安東尼·波爾登的自殺事件就凸顯出識別和治療抑鬱症的難度。

In research published online in March in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers at the Universities of Arizona, Zurich and Texas, as well as Michigan State and Georgia Southern, gave questionnaires designed to measure depression to more than 4,700 people at six labs in the U.S. and Germany.

今年3月份在線發表在《人格與社會心理學雜誌》上的一份研究顯示，亞利桑那大學、蘇黎世大學、德克薩斯大學以及密歇根州立大學和佐治亞南方大學的研究人員在美國和德國的六個實驗室裏對4700餘人做了抑鬱調查問卷。

Participants were asked to write about their lives, a recent relationship breakup, their level of satisfaction with life, or just their general thoughts and feelings. Then software analyzed their language.

問卷要求參與者用文字描述自己的生活、最近一段情感關係的破裂、對生活的滿意度，或只是一般性的想法和感受。然後，研究人員用軟件分析他們的文字。

The results: In addition to using more negative, or sad, words, people who were depressed used more first-person pronouns or "I-talk" than people who were not depressed.

結果發現，除用了更多消極或悲傷的詞語外，抑鬱者比沒有抑鬱的人用了更多的第一人稱代詞“我”。

Pronouns show where a person is focusing attention, says Dr. Pennebaker, who is an author on the study. Someone who is really interested in another person will use the third person "he" or "she." Someone closely focused on a relationship will use "we."

這份研究的作者佩尼貝克博士說，從人稱代詞上可以看出一個人的關注焦點。一個人若對另一個人真正感興趣，會使用第三人稱“他”或“她”。重點關注情感關係的人會使用“我們”。

"But if you are thinking about yourself—if you are more self-conscious or self-aware, as depressed people are—you will use the first-person singular 'I' or 'me,'" Dr. Pennebaker says.

佩尼貝克教授表示：“但是如果你在想着自己，像抑鬱症患者一樣具有較重的自我意識，你會用第一人稱單數‘我'”。

Depressed people also tend to view the world in a concrete, black-or-white way, using words such as "must," "completely," "should" or "always" that express absolutist thinking, as shown in a series of three studies published together in Clinical Psychological Science in January.

今年1月份發表在《臨牀心理科學》上的三項系列研究顯示，抑鬱者還傾向於以具體的、非黑即白的方式來看待世界，用“必須”、“完全”、“應該”或“總是”這樣的詞來表達絕對化的想法。

The researchers, from the University of Reading in the U.K., used software to calculate the percentage of absolutist words used in messages by approximately 6,400 members of internet forums for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and a host of control forums.

英國雷丁大學的研究人員用軟件計算了約6400名互聯網論壇成員在所發消息中使用絕對詞的比例，這些論壇包括抑鬱、焦慮、自殺意念論壇和一系列對照組論壇。

They found that approximately 1.5% of words used by people in the depression and anxiety forums were absolutist—which was 50% more than those used by people in the control forums. The percentage was even higher for people in the suicidal ideation forums: about 1.8%.

他們發現，抑鬱症和焦慮症論壇上絕對詞的出現頻率約爲1.5%，比對照組論壇高出50%。絕對詞在自殺意念論壇中出現的比例甚至高達1.8%左右。

Why are absolutist words so bad? People often don't realize they are using them, and they can amp up negative thoughts. (Think about having your barbecue rained out. Saying "this always happens" is a much harsher thought than "sometimes the weather is unpredictable in June.") Absolutist words also require that the world correspond to your view. ("I must get that promotion." "My children must behave.")

爲什麼使用絕對詞會如此糟糕？人們通常沒有意識到自己在用這些詞，而實際上這些詞可以放大頭腦裏的消極想法。（譬如，你的燒烤野餐因雨取消，說“總是這樣”的人比說“6月的天氣有時就是沒法預料”的人要消極得多。）使用絕對詞的言下之意，是要求世界的運轉符合你的看法。（“那個升職機會必須是我的。”“我的孩子必須守規矩。”）

"If the world doesn't adhere to what you demand of it, that is when depression and anxiety set in," says Mohammed Al-Mosaiwi, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at the University of Reading and lead author on the studies. The more flexible you are, the better, he says.

雷丁大學心理學博士學位候選人、上述研究的主要作者默罕默德·阿爾-莫賽維表示：“如果世界不按你的要求來，抑鬱和焦慮就開始發作。”他說，一個人的想法越靈活越好。

Psychologists say people can use language as a tool to help them reframe their thoughts. "Very often, what you say is what you internalize," says Mr. Al-Mosaiwi. Here are some tips:

心理學家表示，人們可以把語言當作幫助自己重新組織想法的工具。阿爾-莫賽維說：“很多時候，你說出來的就是你藏在心底的東西。”以下是幫助你做出改變的一些小貼士：

Remember that the actual words you say matter, not just the thoughts they convey. Even if you are unable to replace negative words with positive ones, try replacing them with more accurate neutral ones. Instead of: "This party is horrible," try "This event is not for me."

記住，不光是你的想法重要，用來表達想法的措辭也很重要。哪怕你沒辦法把消極字眼換成積極的，也應該儘量使用更準確的中性詞。比如，你可以試着說，“這個活動不適合我”，而不是說，“這個派對太可怕了”。

Banish absolutes, especially in relation to your goals or relationships, where falling short of your expectations can be particularly depressing. These words and phrases include: always, never, nothing, must, every, totally, completely, constantly, entirely, all, definitely, full and one-hundred percent. Replace them with nuance. Instead of: "I can never catch a break," try "Sometimes things don't work out."

摒棄絕對詞，特別是在描述人生目標或情感關係時，因爲在這兩種情況下，達不到期望值可能會令人特別沮喪。這些絕對詞包括：總是、永不、毫無、必須、每個、統統、徹底、一直、完全、所有、絕對、全部和百分百。不妨“偷樑換柱”，用別的詞代替。不要講“我永遠都不會交好運”，試着說 “事情有時就是不湊巧。”

Write. Keep a journal. Try a stream-of-consciousness writing exercise. Compose an email to a friend. Then analyze what words you are using. Are they too negative or absolutist? All about you? Tweak those sentences—and stay vigilant for those words in your speech.

動筆寫。可以記日記，嘗試一種意識流的寫作練習。給朋友寫電子郵件，分析自己的用詞，是否太消極、太絕對？是否滿篇都在講自己？調整這些句子，對自己說話時用的字眼保持警惕。

Ask a loved one to help you identify absolutist or negative words or sentences and suggest reframing. It is easier to notice someone else's language than our own.

請你愛的人幫你找出絕對詞或帶有負面情緒的詞語、句子，提出修改建議。糾察別人的語言比糾察我們自己的要容易。

Create a mantra you can use to override absolutist language. So instead of saying "This always happens to me," say "This time. This happened this time."

創造一個可以替代絕對詞的專屬口頭禪。不要說“我總是碰上這種事”，而要說“這次讓我碰上了，僅這次而已。”

Put your mantra on sticky notes and place them where you can see them. Make it your screen saver. Have a needlepoint pillow made.

可以把口頭禪寫在便利貼上，再把便利貼放在你可以看到的地方。還可以把這句口頭禪做成屏保，或縫在靠墊上。

Pay attention to your use of the word "I." If most of your sentences have "I" or "me" in them, you are probably too self-focused, says Dr. Pennebaker.

注意“我”這個詞的出現頻率。佩尼貝克說，如果你在談話時總是“我我我”，很可能說明你過於關注自己了。