Anticipation and depression: research overview

Anticipation encompasses many spheres of mental activity and participates in a number of important adaptive processes. In recent years, a significant amount of research has been conducted on the study of anticipation as a factor influencing the onset of depression. There is still a lack of studies that summarize and systematize data on anticipation in the context of depression. This is due to the fact that anticipation is a relatively broad concept, and researchers use various definitions to describe different aspects of anticipation. The aim of this work is to investigate the disparate studies dedicated to anticipation in the context of depression. The subject of the research is anticipation as one of the key factors influencing the development of depression. To achieve this aim, a review was conducted. The literature search was performed using the following keywords: «anticipation», «perspective», «expectation», «foresight», «forecasting», «prediction», «future thinking», «future-directed thinking», «predictive processing», and» judgment about the future» in combination with the terms «dysphoria», «depression», and «depressive disorder». The work examines theoretical models of depression that highlight the role of anticipation in its etiopathogenesis. The results of the research indicate that depression is characterized by a specific profile of future forecasting and a conviction in the inevitability of negative outcomes. The accuracy of forecasts and the stability of negative expectations are discussed. The deficit of specificity in episodic thinking is described, based on mechanisms of impaired memory. It is shown that individuals with depression experience distortions in goal-setting processes and impairments in the forecasting of emotions and pleasure. Anticipation, viewed as a trait, is also related to depression. Interventions aimed at developing anticipation and capable of reducing depressive symptoms are presented. Conclusions are formulated regarding the interrelationship between depression and anticipation, and directions for future research in this area are highlighted.