Processes and mechanisms

Affect intolerance

Distress about having an emotion, possibly followed by efforts to escape it.

Formulation hypothesisClinically reviewed

Affect

Fit, function and alternatives

Test this factor against the case

A contextual factor earns a place in the formulation when case evidence links it to the presentation, not because it is present.

Check alternatives

Do not infer the process from a label, search phrase or diagnosis alone. Assess actual circumstances and source-specific population limits.

Next steps

Elicit case evidence, examine alternatives, discuss the hypothesis with the person, and revise when relevant evidence changes.

Qualification

Differentiate an emotion being intense from fear of the emotion, lack of skills or inability to remain safe.

Caveats for this record

Educational formulation aid, not a diagnostic instrument, score or treatment order.
No generated history, trauma, protective factor, or patient preference may be asserted without case evidence.

Record status

Record type: Formulation hypothesis
Population: Adult-general clinical formulation; apply narrower source population limits
Review: Clinically reviewed

Evidence

S41Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review

Clinical Psychology Review (Elsevier) · 10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.004 · Bibliographic record and abstract. Abstract/results.

Older foundational synthesis. Regulation is context-dependent; no single cause or diagnosis follows.

Link withheld: this source remains held and is cited as metadata only.

Evidence references only. Each source's own limitations still apply.

Processes and mechanisms

Checking / compulsive response Conditioning / learned associations Distress-driven impulsivity / negative urgency Guilt Hopelessness / future constriction Intolerance of uncertainty

Guide modules

Rapid clinical formulation guide Foundations, terminology and evidence limits Practical assessment-to-formulation workflow Risk formulation and management linkage Documentation templates and worked examples

How to use this

Record the case evidence yourself. Nothing here is a patient finding, and no factor becomes a cause because it appears in the formulation.

Processes and mechanisms

Affect intolerance

Distress about having an emotion, possibly followed by efforts to escape it.

Formulation hypothesisClinically reviewed

Affect

Fit, function and alternatives

Test this factor against the case

A contextual factor earns a place in the formulation when case evidence links it to the presentation, not because it is present.

Check alternatives

Do not infer the process from a label, search phrase or diagnosis alone. Assess actual circumstances and source-specific population limits.

Next steps

Elicit case evidence, examine alternatives, discuss the hypothesis with the person, and revise when relevant evidence changes.

Qualification

Differentiate an emotion being intense from fear of the emotion, lack of skills or inability to remain safe.

Caveats for this record

Educational formulation aid, not a diagnostic instrument, score or treatment order.
No generated history, trauma, protective factor, or patient preference may be asserted without case evidence.

Record status

Record type: Formulation hypothesis
Population: Adult-general clinical formulation; apply narrower source population limits
Review: Clinically reviewed

Evidence

S41Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review

Clinical Psychology Review (Elsevier) · 10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.004 · Bibliographic record and abstract. Abstract/results.

Older foundational synthesis. Regulation is context-dependent; no single cause or diagnosis follows.

Link withheld: this source remains held and is cited as metadata only.

Evidence references only. Each source's own limitations still apply.

Processes and mechanisms

Checking / compulsive response Conditioning / learned associations Distress-driven impulsivity / negative urgency Guilt Hopelessness / future constriction Intolerance of uncertainty

Guide modules

How to use this

Record the case evidence yourself. Nothing here is a patient finding, and no factor becomes a cause because it appears in the formulation.