Beyond a single index of mania symptoms: structure and validity of subdimensions.

Background: DSM-5 portrays mania as unitary despite evidence of distinct symptom clusters. Studies investigating the structure of mania have been inconsistent, in part because many relied on instruments not designed for this question. The present work used a clinical interview designed for structural analysis in order to identify and validate subdimensions specific to mania symptoms.

Dysfunctional Cognitions among Offspring of Individuals with Bipolar Disorder.

Background: Individuals with bipolar disorder often endorse dysfunctional beliefs consistent with cognitive models of bipolar disorder (Beck, 1976; Mansell, 2007).

Aims: The present study sought to assess whether young adult offspring of those with bipolar disorder would also endorse these beliefs, independent of their own mood episode history.

Method: Participants (N = 89) were young adult college students with a parent with bipolar disorder (n = 27), major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 30), or no mood disorder (n = 32).

PTSD symptom dimensions and their relationship to functioning in World Trade Center responders.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are common among responders to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and can lead to impairment, yet it is unclear which symptom dimensions are responsible for poorer functioning. Moreover, how best to classify PTSD symptoms remains a topic of controversy. The present study tested competing models of PTSD dimensions and then assessed which were most strongly associated with social/occupational impairment, depression, and alcohol abuse.

Does risk for bipolar disorder heighten the disconnect between objective and subjective appraisals of cognition?

Background: Deficits in cognitive functioning have been associated with bipolar disorder during episodes of depression and mania, as well as during periods of symptomatic remission. Separate evidence suggests that patients may lack awareness of these deficits and may even be overly confident with self-appraisals. The extent to which these separately or together represent prodromes of the disorder versus a consequence of the disorder remains unclear.