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1262 – Empathy And Theory Of Mind In Euthymic Bipolar Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

N. Ioannidi ,
G. Konstantakopoulos ,
D. Ploumpidis ,
M. Typaldou ,
D. Sakkas ,
G.N. Papadimitriou  and
P. Oulis
N. Ioannidi
Affiliation:
First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece
G. Konstantakopoulos
Affiliation:
First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece 2. Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK
D. Ploumpidis
Affiliation:
First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece
M. Typaldou
Affiliation:
First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece
D. Sakkas
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, General Hospital ‘G. Gennimatas’, Athens, Greece
G.N. Papadimitriou
Affiliation:
First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece
P. Oulis
Affiliation:
First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece

Abstract

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Introduction

Deficits in social cognition, especially in Theory of Mind (ToM) and empathy, may contribute in poor social functioning of patients with bipolar disorder (BD).

Objectives

Previous studies have found impaired empathy in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder using self-report measures of empathy. However, evidence on the neuropsychological processes that underlie empathic abilities in BD is scarce.

Aims

The aim of the study was to assess empathy and ToM abilities in euthymic BD using both self-report and neuropsychological measures.

Methods

Fifty-seven euthymic BD patients and 53 healthy control subjects completed the Empathy Quotient, a self-report measure of empathy. A multi-level battery of ToM tasks was applied in all study participants, including First order false beliefs stories, Hinting task and Faux Pas Recognition Test (FP). Besides the ability to recognize Faux Pas, three specific components of ToM were assessed with FP: the affective ToM, the cognitive ToM, and the emotional perspective taking. The two groups were matched for gender, age and education.

Results

Patients with BD reported significantly lower levels of empathy than healthy controls. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the First order false beliefs and Hinting task scores. Patients had significantly lower score than healthy controls in FP recognition and cognitive ToM. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in affective ToM and emotional perspective taking.

Conclusions

Deficits in higher order ToM were found in the euthymic BD. These deficits might have important contribution to empathy impairments found, using self-report scales.

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 28 , Issue S1: Abstracts of the 21th European Congress of Psychiatry , 2013 , 28-E616
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2013
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