The influence of successful prophylactic drug treatment on cognitive dysfunction in bipolar disorders

Abstract

Dysfunctional cognitions can be demonstrated in unipolar as well as in bipolar patients. Successful episode-preventive medication with mood stabilizers seems to counteract lowered self-esteem. Adjunctive cognitive therapy might help to optimize the long-term course of bipolar disorder.

Self‐esteem in remitted bipolar disorder patients: a meta‐analysis

“…Unfortunately, evaluations of self‐esteem as an outcome are generally absent in treatment studies. Two exceptions, however, found that the self‐esteem of BD patients improved (i) following psychoeducation (74) and (ii) with longer intervals of successful lithium/carbamazepine prophylactics (50). Thus, it seems that standard treatments for BD do have a positive effect on self‐esteem.…”

Tendencies Toward Mania and Tendencies Toward Depression Have Distinct Motivational, Affective, and Cognitive Correlates

“…First, studies have found that person with remitted bipolar disorder do not display lower self-esteem (Ashworth et al 1985; Bentall and Thompson 1990; Daskalopoulou et al 2002; Scott et al 2000; Tracy et al 1992; Winters and Neale 1985; Wolf and Mueller-Oerlinghausen 2002), more negative self-beliefs (Hollon et al 1986), or dysfunctional attitudes (Tracy et al 1992), compared with persons who have no mood disorder. Other studies found that negative cognitive styles fail to predict manic symptoms (Johnson and Fingerhut 2004).…”

Stability of self‐esteem in bipolar disorder: comparisons among remitted bipolar patients, remitted unipolar patients and healthy controls1

“…The existing evidence, although not entirely consistent, suggests that self‐esteem difficulties persist during this phase of the illness. When global self‐esteem measures have been administered, some studies have found that remitted patients score low (13), although it has also been reported that they score normally (14) or that self‐esteem only returns to normal after long periods of successful treatment with mood stabilizing medication (15). Scott et al.…”