The relationship between creativity and mood disorders

Research designed to examine the relationship between creativity and mental illnesses must confront multiple challenges. What is the optimal sample to study? How should creativity be defined? What is the most appropriate comparison group? Only a limited number of studies have examined highly creative individuals using personal interviews and a noncreative comparison group. The majority of these have examined writers. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that in these creative individuals the rate of mood disorder is high, and that both bipolar disorder and unipolar depression are quite common. Clinicians who treat creative individuals with mood disorders must also confronta variety of challenges, including the fear that treatment may diminish creativity, in the case of bipolar disorder, hovt/ever, it is likely that reducing severe manic episodes may actually enhance creativity in many individuals.     

Temporal relation between sleep and mood in patients with bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND: Early recognition of the prodromal symptoms of bipolar disorder, combined with a patient action plan, may help to prevent relapses. Sleep disturbances are frequent warning signs of both mania and depression. This study used cross correlation analysis to characterize the relationship between mood, sleep and bedrest in longitudinal data. METHODS: Self-reported mood, sleep and bedrest (mean 169 +/- 59 days of data per patient) from 59 outpatients with bipolar disorder receiving standard treatment were analyzed. The cross correlation function was used to determine the latency between the changes in sleep and/or bedrest and mood for time shifts of between -7 and 7 days. RESULTS: For sleep and/or bedrest, a significant inverse correlation was found with the change in mood, most commonly with a time latency of one day. Sleep plus bedrest had the strongest relationship with a change in mood, with a significant correlation in 24 of 59 patients (41%) for the night before or night of a mood change. The patients with a significant cross-correlation between mood and sleep plus bedrest reported about two thirds of all large sleep changes of >3 h and three fourths of all large mood changes (>20 on 100-unit scale). Patients with a significant cross correlation were more likely to take benzodiazepines. CONCLUSION: In most patients with a significant cross correlation between sleep and/or bedrest and mood, the mood change occurred on the day following the change in sleep and/or bedrest. Sleep changes from a previous pattern, especially those of more than 3 h, may indicate that a large mood change is imminent.     

The relationship between heart rate and mood in real life

Very little is known about the relationship between stress and cardiovascular responses in everyday settings. The three subjective states of Stress, Arousal and Time Pressure were measured every 30 min during a normal day in 32 healthy male volunteers and related to heart rate, which was measured continuously using standard ambulatory techniques. An index of the subjects physical activity was derived from the muscle activity of the thigh. Heart rate related to emotional state in very few subjects when time-series statistical methods, which take into account the autocorrelated nature of the data, were used. The relationship was further reduced when allowance was made for concurrent physical activity. The minority of subjects who exhibited a significant association between heart rate and mood variations were significantly more anxious, reported more anger, and had higher systolic blood pressures at rest than subjects who did not show a relationship between mood and heart rate.     

心境障碍与下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴的关系

目的:探讨心境障碍与下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴的关系. 方法:对136例心境障碍患者(抑郁组66例,躁狂组70例)以及与之性别、年龄匹配的正常对照者66人进行血清催乳素(PRL)、雌二醇(E2)、睾酮(T)、促卵泡刺激素(FSH)、促黄体生成素(LH)、孕酮(PRG)水平检测并比较. 结果:与正常对照组比较,抑郁组血清PRL水平显著升高(P＜0.05);躁狂组血清PRL、T、E2、LH、PRG水平显著升高(P均＜0.05). 结论:心境障碍患者存在下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴功能紊乱.     

精神分裂症与心境障碍诊断相互变更分析

目的:探讨精神分裂症和心境障碍之间诊断的相互变更.方法:从8年间住院3次或以上的454例病例中筛查出交替出现过心境障碍和精神分裂症诊断的患者40例,对这40例患者随访4年,每半年用复合性国际交谈检查(CIDI)和国际疾病分类第10版(ICD-10)进行评估.结果:4年随访期间,在精神分裂症→心境障碍组33例中,有6例更改诊断;在心境障碍→精神分裂症组7例中,有4例更改诊断.结论:可变更的临床诊断的患者可能不是精神分裂症;精神分裂症的诊断并不是固定不变的;诊断心境障碍的男性患者出现变更的可能性更大;诊断的变更多半是发病年龄在24岁之前的患者.     

同型半胱氨酸与脑血管病的关系

目的探讨同型半胱氨酸(Hcy)与脑血管病(CVD)的关系。方法采用高效液相色谱分析法,检测34例脑出血(CH)及59例脑梗死(CI)患者的Hcy,并与29名同龄健康对照组比较。结果CVD组有40例伴Hcy升高,占43.0%,平均血浆Hcy水平(18.28±12.60)μmol L,明显高于对照组(10.17±3.68)μmol L(P<0.01),但CH组与CI组之间无显著差异(P>0.05)。结论高Hcy血症不但与CI有关,而且与CH也密切相关,是CVD的独立危险因素之一。     

Neuroplasticity and cellular resilience in mood disorders

Although mood disorders have traditionally been regarded as good prognosis diseases, a growing body of data suggests that the long-term outcome for many patients is often much less favorable than previously thought. Recent morphometric studies have been investigating potential structural brain changes in mood disorders, and there is now evidence from a variety of sources demonstrating significant reductions in regional CNS volume, as well as regional reductions in the numbers and/or sizes of glia and neurons. Furthermore, results from recent clinical and preclinical studies investigating the molecular and cellular targets of mood stabilizers and antidepressants suggest that a reconceptualization about the pathophysiology and optimal long-term treatment of recurrent mood disorders may be warranted. It is proposed that impairments of neuroplasticity and cellular resilience may underlie the pathophysiology of mood disorders, and further that optimal long-term treatment for these severe illnesses may only be achieved by the early and aggressive use of agents with neurotrophic/neuroprotective effects. It is noteworthy that lithium, valproate and antidepressants indirectly regulate a number of factors involved in cell survival pathways including CREB, BDNF, bcl-2 and MAP kinases, and may thus bring about some of their delayed long-term beneficial effects via underappreciated neurotrophic effects. The development of novel treatments which more directly target molecules involved in critical CNS cell survival and cell death pathways have the potential to enhance neuroplasticity and cellular resilience, and thereby modulate the long-term course and trajectory of these devastating illnesses.     

Relationship between social rhythms and mood in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

Disruptions in the sleep-wake cycle frequently characterize affective illness and have led to a number of theories linking sleep-wake and/or circadian rhythm disturbance to affective illness. Recently, researchers have expanded these chronobiological theories to include the role of lifestyle regularity, or daily social rhythms. In this study, the Social Rhythm Metric (SRM) was used to explore the relationship between social rhythms and mood in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder and to compare the social rhythms of patients with those of healthy control subjects. Patients' SRM scores and activity level indices were significantly lower than those of control subjects. In addition, the timing of five, mostly morning, activities was phase delayed in patients compared to control subjects. Patients also demonstrated a phase delay in the timing of morning activities during depression compared to hypomania or euthymia. The phase changes in the timing of morning activities are consistent with other data implicating morning zeitgebers in the pathophysiology of rapid cycling bipolar disorder.     

Familial relationship between mood disorders and alcoholism

Clinical and epidemiological studies have consistently revealed an association between alcohol use disorders and both bipolar and nonbipolar mood disorders. However, the evidence regarding the nature of these associations is unclear. The familial patterns of alcohol and affective disorders were examined using data from a controlled family study of probands with alcohol and anxiety disorders who were sampled from treatment settings and the community. The substantial degree of comorbidity between mood and anxiety disorders among probands allowed for the examination of comorbidity and familial aggregation of alcohol and mood disorders. The major findings are that (1) alcoholism was associated with bipolar and nonbipolar mood disorders in the relatives; (2) there was a strong degree of familial aggregation of alcohol dependence and both types of mood disorders were observed; and (3) there was no evidence of cross-aggregation (i.e., increase in mood disorders among probands with alcohol dependence, and vice versa) between alcoholism and mood disorders. The independent familial aggregation of bipolar disorder and alcoholism and the finding that the onset of bipolar disorder tended to precede that of alcoholism are compatible with a self-medication hypothesis as the explanation for the frequent co-occurrence of these disorders. In contrast, the independent familial aggregation and the tendency of an earlier onset of alcoholism than that of nonbipolar depression suggest that unipolar mood disorders are frequently secondary to alcoholism.     

精神分裂症与心境障碍交替发作47例临床分析

目的:探讨精神分裂症和心境障碍交替发作这一特殊病例群体的演变规律和可能的诊断归属问题。方法:在15年间住院3次或以上,诊断为精神分裂症或心境障碍的638例病历中筛选出有精神分裂症和心境障碍诊断变更的81例,按中国精神障碍分类与诊断标准第3版分别再诊断,符合要求者作为研究组,共47例(7.4%)。结果:精神分裂症→心境障碍组36例,最后诊断为精神分裂症14例(38.9%),诊断为心境障碍22例(61.1%);心境障碍→精神分裂症组11例,最后诊断为心境障碍7例(63.6%),精神分裂症4例(36.4%);心境障碍→精神分裂症组的最后诊断与初次诊断的一致率显著高于精神分裂症→心境障碍组(P<0.05)。结论:本类型精神障碍在现象学层面是一个独立的疾病单元,其生物学特性以及临床特征可能与心境障碍存在更大关联,有待大样本前瞻性研究。建议在精神疾病分类方案与诊断标准中有其正式的归属。     

The relationship between thought disorder and psychotic symptoms in borderline personality disorder

Often patients with personality and affective disorder are troubled by psychotic and psychotic-like symptoms. Predicting a course that includes such symptoms, and subsequently adjusting treatment to take into consideration the added difficulties presented by psychosis, is clinically important. In the current study, a measure of thought disorder, the Thought Disorder Index (TDI), significantly predicted prospective psychotic and psychotic-like symptoms in a sample of 49 personality and affective disorder patients. Multiple regressions demonstrated that the TDI had predictive value above and beyond that of a clinical interview. The high prevalence of psychotic symptoms was most striking in patients with borderline personality disorder.     

The relationship between syndrome and personality disorder in DSM-III: experience with 2,462 patients

The authors studied the relationship between DSM-III axis I and axis II diagnoses in 2,462 medical center patients. Personality disorders were most commonly associated with substance use disorders and with the anxiety and somatoform disorders traditionally classified as neuroses. There was a particularly strong connection between antisocial personality disorder and substance abuse. The psychotic and major affective illnesses were significantly less often associated with personality disorders. The results of this study suggest a need for refining the criteria for several DSM-III categories. Overall, the separate personality disorder axis in the DSM-III system provides information not contained with the syndromal classification alone.     

The relationship between memory performance, perceived cognitive function, and mood in patients with epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: The low correlations between memory performance and subjective memory may be attributable to disparities between tasks in neuropsychological tests and cognitive experiences of day-to-day living. This study evaluated the relationship between everyday memory performance, perceived cognitive functioning, and mood among patients with epilepsy. METHODS: From three epilepsy centers in the USA, 138 patients were recruited. Everyday memory performance was measured using the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT). Questionnaires assessed perceived cognitive function (cognitive domain, Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory, QOLIE-89) and mood (Profile of Mood States, POMS). RESULTS: Memory performance scores were weakly correlated with perceived cognitive functioning (r =0.22, P < 0.01). Perceived cognitive functioning was strongly correlated with mood (r = - 0.75, P < 0.0001). Multiple regression analysis indicated memory performance (RBMT) and mood (POMS) were independent predictors of perceived cognitive functioning (P < 0.02); however, the explained variance for RBMT and POMS combined (R2 = 0.58) is only slightly higher than the predictive value for the POMS score alone (R2 = 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: Memory performance tests provide qualitatively different information than patients' self-reported cognitive difficulties, thus it is important to assess memory performance, perceived cognitive function, and mood separately because the constructs are related but not redundant.     

The relationship between religious involvement and clinical status of patients with bipolar disorder

Cruz M, Pincus HA, Welsh DE, Greenwald D, Lasky E, Kilbourne AM. The relationship between religious involvement and clinical status of patients with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 68–76. © 2010 The Authors.
Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objective: Religion and spirituality are important coping strategies in depression but have been rarely studied within the context of bipolar disorder. The present study assessed the association between different forms of religious involvement and the clinical status of individuals treated for bipolar disorder. Methods: A cross‐sectional observation study of follow‐up data from a large cohort study of patients receiving care for bipolar disorder (n = 334) at an urban Veterans Affairs mental health clinic was conducted. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association between public (frequency of church attendance), private (frequency of prayer/meditation), as well as subjective forms (influence of beliefs on life) of religious involvement and mixed, manic, depressed, and euthymic states when demographic, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and health indicators were controlled. Results: Multivariate analyses found significant associations between higher rates of prayer/meditation and participants in a mixed state [odds ratio (OR) = 1.29; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10–1.52, chi square = 9.42, df = 14, p < 0.05], as well as lower rates of prayer/meditation and participants who were euthymic (OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.72–0.99, chi square = 4.60, df = 14, p < 0.05). Depression and mania were not associated with religious involvement. Conclusions: Compared to patients with bipolar disorder in depressed, manic, or euthymic states, patients in mixed states have more active private religious lives. Providers should assess the religious activities of individuals with bipolar disorder in mixed states and how they may complement/deter ongoing treatment. Future longitudinal studies linking bipolar states, religious activities, and treatment‐seeking behaviors are needed.     

心境障碍患者的关联性负变

Studies on brain-evoked potential and contingent negative variation (CNV) in mood disorder remain controversial.To date,no CNV difference between unipolar and bipolar depression has been reported.Brain-evoked potentials were measured in the present study to analyze CNV in three subtypes of mood disorder (mania,unipolar depression,and bipolar depression),and these results were compared with normal controls.In the mania group,CNV amplitude B was greater than in controls,and the depression group exhibited lower CNV amplitude B and smaller A-S’2 area,and prolonged post-imperative negative variation latency.The CNV comparison between unipolar and bipolar depression found that the prolonged post-imperative negative variation latency was only in unipolar depression.These results suggest that prolonged post-imperative negative variation latency is a characteristic of unipolar depression,and CNV amplitude change is a state characteristic of mood disorder patients.     

The relationship between functional disability and depressive mood in Japanese older adult inpatients

Depression is commonly found in older adult patients and is often associated with handicaps. The authors administered the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), including basic activities of daily living (BADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)-15, and a socioenvironmental questionnaire to 198 patients who were admitted to Nagoya University Hospital, to examine the relationship between depressive mood and various physical and socioenvironmental outcomes. The overall GDS-15 score was correlated with the BADL and IADL. The factor analysis extracted 4 factors from the GDS-15 subscales. The factors labeled "loss of morale and hope" and "memory loss and reduction of social activity" were highly correlated with both ADLs, social variables, and the MMSE score. The results reveal that factor analysis of GDS-15 will help in understanding the etiology of depressive mood, thereby contributing to better therapeutic approaches.