Background: Depression is associated not only with emotional and behavioural symptoms but also with persistent negative patterns of thinking. Negative views of the self, the surrounding world and the future, together with dysfunctional attitudes and negative automatic thoughts, are central concepts in cognitive models of depression. However, the extent to which these cognitive patterns distinguish depressed individuals from non-depressed individuals remains clinically relevant, particularly for early identification and psychological intervention. Aim: To assess and compare negative cognitive patterns among depressed and non-depressed adults. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was designed involving 120 adults, comprising 60 clinically depressed participants and 60 non-depressed controls. Depression severity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Negative cognitive patterns were assessed using measures of negative automatic thoughts and dysfunctional attitudes. Sociodemographic and clinical information was also recorded. Group differences were evaluated using independent-samples t-tests and effect sizes. Results: In the illustrative dataset, depressed participants demonstrated substantially higher negative cognitive scores than non-depressed participants. Mean negative automatic thought scores were 92.4 ± 14.8 in the depressed group compared with 55.7 ± 12.6 in controls. Dysfunctional attitude scores were also higher among depressed participants (83.1 ± 12.7 versus 49.6 ± 10.9). Depression severity showed a marked difference between groups. All principal comparisons were statistically significant, with large effect sizes. Conclusion: Depressed adults showed considerably greater negative cognitive patterns than non-depressed adults. The findings support the clinical importance of assessing maladaptive thinking during evaluation of depression. Identification and modification of negative automatic thoughts, dysfunctional attitudes and related cognitive distortions may provide useful targets for psychological management.