When we don’t know what falls within the normal range of the mind, we can easily misinterpret our thoughts or feelings as dangerous or harmful.

The same applies to physical symptoms: Am I just catching a cold, or am I seriously ill? Is this ordinary, or something I must act on immediately? 

In Metacognitive Therapy (MCT), we call this a danger belief: the assumption that thoughts and feelings themselves are dangerous.

The fear of becoming mentally ill can drive the strategies that, paradoxically, keep the fear alive.

When danger beliefs are strong, you are more likely to:

• worry excessively about your own thoughts and feelings, which increases anxiety,

• monitor yourself for early signs of mental illness (so-called threat monitoring), reinforcing the sense of danger,

• try to control or suppress thoughts and feelings so they don’t become a “threat,”

• avoid situations that might trigger perceived danger.

All of these strategies are understandable attempts at protection. But over time, they can spiral into a mental health anxiety— a self-fulfilling loop where the fear plants a seed that is then unintentionally nurtured.

In the formal diagnosis health anxiety, we notice the same trend: worrying about the seriousness of symptoms can produce symptoms and blur the picture.

That’s why it matters to distinguish: What is simply a part of the wide range of human emotions? And what is truly dangerous? 

A key part of therapy is helping people recognize their reactions as normal psychological responses. If we frame difficult thoughts and feelings as signals of danger, we may unintentionally be fueling the very fear we wish to get rid of.

Research Highlights: Danger Beliefs and Mental Health

Transdiagnostic relevance of danger beliefs
Salguero & Ramos-Cejudo (2023) showed that metacognitive beliefs about the uncontrollability and danger of worry are most strongly associated with psychopathology in adults, highlighting their central role across emotional disorders.

Systematic review across physical illnesses
Capobianco et al. (2020) reviewed 13 studies in people with conditions such as cancer, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy, diabetes, and fibromyalgia. Negative metacognitive beliefs about uncontrollability and danger consistently predicted anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms.

Psychosis risk linked to danger beliefs
Cotter et al. (2017) found that individuals at high risk for psychosis reported significantly more danger beliefs compared to healthy controls. These levels were comparable to those with established psychotic disorders.

Interpersonal problems and danger beliefs
Nordahl et al. (2021) reported strong correlations between interpersonal problems and danger/uncontrollability beliefs (r ≈ .52). Even after adjusting for anxiety, depression, personality traits, and attachment, danger beliefs remained the strongest predictor.

Danger beliefs in children and adolescents
Thingbak et al. (2024, open access) conducted a meta-analysis of 40 studies (n = 9,887, ages 7–18). In children with depression and anxiety, danger beliefs were strongly linked to symptom severity (g = 1.22). Importantly(!), altering these beliefs in therapy improved symptoms, supporting their role as a treatment target.

Efficacy of MCT in modifying danger beliefs
Parker et al. (2020) showed that MCT produced clinically significant reductions in negative metacognitive beliefs—including danger beliefs—along with decreases in worry and threat monitoring. These improvements were medium to large and sustained at follow-up, suggesting that MCT is a suitable treatment approach for improving danger beliefs.

From here, let’s talk about thoughts and feelings as natural responses to difficult situations. Emotional disorders can be understood as prolonged and persistent emotional responses.