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Traumatic Experiences Affect Negative Emotion Processing in Bipolar Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

G. Sepede ,
F. Gambi ,
D. De Berardis ,
G. Di Iorio ,
M.-G. Perrucci ,
F. Ferretti ,
R. Santacroce ,
G.-L. Romani  and
M. Di Giannantonio
G. Sepede
Affiliation:
University “G. d’Annunzio”, Department of Neuroscience – Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chieti, Italy University “A. Moro”, Department of Basic Medical Sciences – Neurosciences and Sense Organs, Bari, Italy
F. Gambi
Affiliation:
University “G. d’Annunzio”, Department of Neuroscience – Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chieti, Italy
D. De Berardis
Affiliation:
National Health Trust, Department of Mental Health, Teramo, Italy
G. Di Iorio
Affiliation:
National Health Trust, Department of Mental Health, Chieti, Italy
M.-G. Perrucci
Affiliation:
University “G. d’Annunzio”, Department of Neuroscience – Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chieti, Italy
F. Ferretti
Affiliation:
University “G. d’Annunzio”, Department of Neuroscience – Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chieti, Italy
R. Santacroce
Affiliation:
University “G. d’Annunzio”, Department of Neuroscience – Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chieti, Italy
G.-L. Romani
Affiliation:
University “G. d’Annunzio”, Department of Neuroscience – Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chieti, Italy
M. Di Giannantonio
Affiliation:
University “G. d’Annunzio”, Department of Neuroscience – Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chieti, Italy

Abstract

Introduction

Patients affected by bipolar disorder type I (BD-I) show a significant emotional impairment during both acute and euthymic phases of the illness, but the influence of negative life experiences is not yet fully understood.

Objectives

Aim of the present study was to investigate the role of previous traumatic events on negative emotion processing in euthymic BD-I patients.

Methods

Eighteen euthymic BD-I patients, 7 reporting past traumatic events (T-BD-I), but free of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms at the moment of the evaluation and 11 never exposed to traumas (NT-BD-I), were compared to 24 not traumatized controls (NC). All participants performed a IAPS-based emotional task: they were required to identify vegetable items (targets) among neutral or negative pictures. Accuracy (percentage of correct responses) and mean reaction times (RT) were recorded.

Results

T-BD-I performed similarly to NC and significantly better than NT-BD-I in terms of accuracy (Fig. 1). No significant between-group effects were observed for mean RT.

Conclusions

A previous history of traumatic events, without current PTSD symptoms, may significantly impact the negative emotion processing in euthymic BD-I. Interestingly, traumatized patients showed a better accuracy when processing both neutral and negative images, thus suggesting that paying more attention to external stimuli may be a successful compensatory mechanism to cope with potential environmental threats.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Type
Oral communications: Epidemiology and social psychiatry; migration and mental health of immigrants; forensic psychiatry; suicidology and suicide prevention; prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 41 , Issue S1: Abstract of the 25th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2017 , pp. S93
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2017

Fig. 1

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Fig. 1

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