The broad acceptance of evidence-based psychosocial interventions as adjuncts to pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder has been inhibited by the extensive training, supervision, and fidelity requirements of these approaches. Interventions that emphasize evidence-based strategies drawn from these modalities-rather than the full manualized protocols-may broaden the availability of psychotherapy for patients with bipolar disorder. In this article, psychosocial risk factors relevant to the course of bipolar disorder (stressful life events that disrupt social rhythms, lack of social support, family criticism and conflict, and lack of illness awareness or literacy) are reviewed, along with evidence-based psychosocial interventions (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Behavioral interventions require considerable practice of treatment skills in between therapy sessions. The effects of these treatments may vary with the degree to which patients are able to implement these practices. In offspring of parents with bipolar and major depressive disorders, we examined whether youth who frequently practiced communication and problem-solving skills between family-focused therapy (FFT) sessions had less severe mood symptoms and better psychosocial functioning over 6 months than youth who practiced less frequently.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: There is limited research on the effects of sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors on treatment outcomes in youth at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHRp). This study examined sociodemographic factors that may affect functional outcomes within this population. Specifically, we investigated the influence of race/ethnicity (dichotomized as non-Hispanic whites [NHW] vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: People with schizophrenia on average are more socially isolated, lonelier, have more social cognitive impairment, and are less socially motivated than healthy individuals. People with bipolar disorder also have social isolation, though typically less than that seen in schizophrenia. We aimed to disentangle whether the social cognitive and social motivation impairments observed in schizophrenia are a specific feature of the clinical condition social isolation generally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeople with schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) have impairments in processing social information, including faces. The neural correlates of face processing are widely studied with the N170 ERP component. However, it is unclear whether N170 deficits reflect neural abnormalities associated with these clinical conditions or differences in social environments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdolescent-onset depression is a prevalent and debilitating condition commonly associated with treatment refractory depression and non-response to first-line antidepressants. There are, however, no objective tests to determine who may or may not respond to antidepressants. As depressed adolescents are especially vulnerable to the lifelong consequences of ineffectively-treated depression, it is critical to identify neurobiological predictors of treatment non-response in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Family-focused therapy (FFT) is associated with enhanced outcomes in youth with bipolar and depressive disorders, but has not been evaluated in conjunction with mobile health tools. In symptomatic adolescents whose parents had histories of mood disorders, we examined whether the effects of telehealth-based FFT were augmented by mobile health apps that emphasized mood tracking and family coping skills.
Method: Participants (aged 13-19 years) had active mood symptoms and a parent with major depressive or bipolar disorder.
J Psychopathol Clin Sci
January 2024
Predicting mood disorders in adolescence is a challenge that motivates research to identify neurocognitive predictors of symptom expression and clinical profiles. This study used machine learning to test whether neurocognitive variables predicted future manic or anhedonic symptoms in two adolescent samples risk-enriched for lifetime mood disorders (Sample 1, = 73, ages = 13-25, [] = 19.22 [2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, psychosocial therapies have been provided in varying formats, including remote, in-person, and hybrid services. It is unclear whether varying formats are similarly efficacious in improving psychiatric symptoms and functioning, lead to similar rates of treatment retention, and are equally acceptable to patients. This study compared youth with mood disorders and/or psychosis-risk syndromes who participated in a group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in-person prior to COVID-19, to youth in the same treatment given remotely during the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychotherapy is an important part of managing bipolar depression and its associated impairments. There is considerable evidence that psychotherapies are effective adjuncts to pharmacotherapy in delaying or preventing episodes of bipolar depression. Individuals with bipolar depression may be reticent to consider these treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: There is substantial evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) improve symptoms and functioning in adults with mood and psychotic disorders. There has been little work directly comparing these treatments among adolescents with early-onset mood or psychosis symptoms.
Method: We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing remotely administered group CBT to group MBCT for adolescents (ages 13-17) with a mood disorder or attenuated psychosis symptoms.
Background: The impairing neurodevelopmental course of bipolar disorder (BD) suggests the importance of early intervention for youth in the beginning phases of the illness.
Objective: We report the results of a 3-site randomized trial of family-focused therapy for youth at high-risk (FFT-HR) for BD, and explore psychosocial and neuroimaging variables as mediators of treatment effects.
Methods: High-risk youth (<18 years) with major depressive disorder or other specified BD, active mood symptoms, and a family history of BD were randomly assigned to 4 months of FFT-HR (psychoeducation, communication and problem-solving skills training) or 4 months of enhanced care psychoeducation.
Background: Given the likelihood of progressive illness in bipolar disorder (BD), it is important to understand the benefits and risks of interventions administered early in illness course. We conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions in the early course of BD I or II.
Methods: We completed a systematic search on MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL and Google Scholar from 1/1/1979 till 14/9/2022.
Background: We examined whether digital phenotyping of spontaneous speech, such as the use of specific word categories during speech samples, was associated with depressive symptoms in youth who were at familial and clinical risk for mood disorders.
Methods: Participants (ages 13-19) had active mood symptoms, mood instability, and at least one parent with bipolar or major depressive disorder. During a randomized trial of family-focused therapy, participants were instructed to make weekly calls to a central voice server and leave speech samples in response to automated prompts.
Bipolar disorder is heterogeneous in phenomenology, illness trajectory, and response to treatment. Despite evidence for the efficacy of multimodal-ity interventions, the majority of persons affected by this disorder do not achieve and sustain full syndromal recovery. It is eagerly anticipated that combining datasets across various information sources (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Comorbid anxiety disorder is related to greater illness severity among individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, but its potential role in moderating response to Family Focused Therapy (FFT) for CHR is unexamined. We investigated whether comorbid anxiety disorder in CHR individuals is associated with less constructive communication during family problem-solving interactions, whether their communication skills differentially improve after FFT, and whether FFT is effective in reducing anxiety in this population.
Methods: Individuals recruited into the second phase of the 8-site North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS2) participated (N = 129).
Background: Although transdiagnostic forms of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) have been evaluated in individuals with depressive and anxiety disorders, few studies have examined their suitability for more severe disorders, such as recurrent or persistent major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychotic spectrum disorders. This study examined the acceptability and initial efficacy of an app-enhanced Unified Protocol for Adolescents [UP-A] when including youth with more severe mood disorders or psychotic spectrum disorders.
Methods: We first adapted a mobile application (app), based on user-centered feedback from adolescents and their parents, to assist participants in reviewing session content, practicing skills learned in previous treatment sessions, and monitoring symptomatic progress.