Show & Tell: Cognitive Distortion Detector — watch it dissect an anxious thought in real time

[alexcoledev]

What this tool does

cognitive_distortion_detector.js takes a free-text anxious thought and identifies which of 10 Beck cognitive distortions are present — with the exact trigger words, a plain-language explanation, and a CBT reframe.

No API key. No backend. No dependencies. Runs 100% in the browser.

Live demo — real input → real output

Input (a thought I actually had last week):

"I always mess everything up. There's no point in even trying anymore. Everyone probably thinks I'm a failure."

Output (3 distortions detected):

#	Distortion	Trigger	Why it's a distortion
1	Overgeneralization	"always", "everything"	One event gets blown into a universal rule. "Always" and "everything" turn a single bad day into a permanent verdict.
2	All-or-Nothing	"no point"	The middle ground disappears. If it's not a guaranteed win, it's worthless — no room for partial progress.
3	Mind Reading	"Everyone probably thinks"	Assuming you know what others think without evidence. "Everyone" is doing a lot of work here; you haven't polled them.

CBT reframe offered:

"I had a setback this time. I've succeeded before, so 'always' isn't accurate. I can try a smaller next step — it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. I don't actually know what others think; that's my anxiety talking, not data."

Why I built this

Therapy is $150-300/session and 6-week waitlisted in most cities. A distortion detector that runs offline, free, in 2 seconds, doesn't replace therapy — but it gives people a tool between sessions, and gives people who can't afford therapy something.

Try it yourself

git clone https://github.com/alexcoledev/cbt-toolkit
open cbt-toolkit/docs/cognitive-distortion-detector.html

Or just open the file directly in a browser — no server needed.

Paste your own thought and see what comes back. What does it detect for you? Reply with your input + the distortions it found — I'm genuinely curious what patterns show up across different people's thoughts.

The other 9 detectors

This is 1 of 10 standalone detectors in the toolkit:

• Cognitive Distortion Detector ← this one
• Core Belief Detector
• Safety Behavior Detector
• Catastrophe Prediction Calibration
• Thought Record (structured)
• Behavioral Experiment Planner
• Mood Tracker + correlation
• CBT-for-X tools (OCD, ADHD, anxiety, procrastination, etc.)

All vanilla JS, all offline, all free. ⭐ if any of them are useful.