Abstract:
Objective: Similarities and differences among mood disorders can help psychiatrics in
their exact diagnosis and more effective treatments. Therefore, the current research sought
to identify differences between patients with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and
nonclinical group in emotional schemas.
Methods: The present research was a cross-sectional study. The research sample consisted
of 102 subjects (34 bipolar disorders, 34 with major depressive disorder, and 34 nonclinical)
that selected by convenience sampling. They were matched for sex, age, and educational level.
Subjects were diagnosed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM disorders (SCID) and their
mood was rated by Young mania rating scale (YMRS) and Beck depression inventory (BDI).
General health questionnaire (GHQ) was also used for nonclinical population. Then, all three
groups were asked to fill out the Leahy emotional schemas (LESS). Data were analyzed by
ANOVA.
Results: The scores on LESS in patients with bipolar and major depressive disorders were
significantly different from the nonclinical groups. But there was not difference between
them. Compared to two clinical groups, the healthy group reported greater scores in adaptive
emotional schemas such as validation F(2,98)=21.03, p<0.0001, values F(2,97)=9.34,
p<0.0001, acceptance F(2,93)=15.14, p<0.0001, and expression F(2,99)=8.19, p<0.001. But
there were not significant difference in maladaptive emotional schemas except blame schema
F(2,97)=17.24, p<0.0001. In fact, this schema was higher in patient with major depression
disorder than the other two groups.
Conclusion: Since there was no significant difference between clinical groups, these schemes
are likely to be common elements between the clinical groups, so it seems that it is in line
with transdiagnostic approach, However, further studies are required to illuminate specific and
shared factors among bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.
Machine summary:
A Comparison of Emotional Schemas in Patients with Bipolar Disorders and Major Depressive Disorder in Remission and Nonclinical Population CrossMark Mahsa Rahabarian1*, Abolfazl Mohammadi1, Imaneh Abasi2, Alipasha Meysamie3, Aliakbar Nejatisafa4 1.
06040207 Article info: Received: 28 Sep. 2015 Accepted: 03 Jan. 2016 Keywords: Emotional schemas, Bipolar disorder, Major depressive disorder A B S T R A C T Objective: Similarities and differences among mood disorders can help psychiatrics in their exact diagnosis and more effective treatments.
Therefore, the current research sought to identify differences between patients with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and nonclinical group in emotional schemas.
These schema may be normal or pathologic and mal- adaptive ones are associated with higher level of anxiety, depression, repetitive automatic thoughts and could be de- tected in patients personality disorders and also in other psychological disorders (Leahy & Tirch, 2011).
Leahy suggests 14 dimensions for emotional schemas: valida- tion, comprehensibility, simplistic view of emotion, higher values, consensus, guilt, uncontrollability, numbness, de- mand for rationality, duration, acceptance, mental rumina- tion, expression, and blaming others.
April 2016, Volume 4, Number 2 Inclusion criteria were as follows: having Young mania rating scale YMSR<11 for patients with bipolar disorder, Beck depression inventory BDI<19 for both clinical groups and general health questionnaire GHQ<23 for nonclinical group.
In addition, scores for nonclinical population in dimensions of validation, higher values, acceptance, and expression were higher than mood disorder groups, but there was no significant difference between bipolar and major depressive disorder patients with regard to all these dimensions.