Theory of mind abilities and its relationship with clinical features in euthymic bipolar patients

Abstract

Purpose: The term of ‘Theory of mind’ (ToM), is the ability to understand one’s own others’ mental states, is an important capacity for social cognition and there is increasing data that theory of mind is compromised in bipolar patients even in euthymic periods. The aim of this study was to investigate theory of mind deficits in euthymic bipolar disorder patients and its relation to the clinical features. Materials and method:Fifty two euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder according to DSM IV-TR and 60 matched healthy control subjects were involved in this study. ToM was assessed by Reading the Mind in the Eyes test and the Dokuz Eylül Theory of Mind Scale. Results: The patient group had significantly lower performance on both of the ToM tests. We observed significant correlation between age of onset, the number of hospitalizations, the number of manic/mixed episodes and theory of mind performance. Conclusion: The result we showed is that ToM is impaired in euthymic bipolar I patients, which is consistent with the studies suggesting that ToM might be a trait marker for bipolar disorder.