Social cognition and bipolar disorder: A preliminary study

Abstract

Aim

To assess the clinical outcomes associated with social cognition impairment in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.

Method

It was a cross-sectional study with convenience sample. The diagnose of bipolar disorder was performed by psychiatrist, using DSM-IV criteria, at bipolar disorder program – Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (Brazil), where the sample was recruited. The social cognition was assessed by psychologists using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test.

Results

We included 46 euthymic BD patients: BD I (n = 39), women (n = 32), age (49.11 ± 13.17), and years of education (10.56 ± 3.80). Patients with social cognition impairment were not different of patients without social cognition impairment regarding socio demographic factors (gender, age, educational level, marital status, and employment status). Patients with social cognitive impairment showed higher rates of BD I patients (P = 0.036) and higher proportion of hospitalization in the first episode (P = 0.033), as compared to patients without social cognition impairment.

Conclusion

This is a preliminary study demonstrating that BD patients with social cognition impairment show worse clinical outcomes. Severe BD onset seems to be an important predictor of social cognition impairment. However, more studies are needed investigating social cognition impairment in subjects with bipolar disorder.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.