Impulsivity and risk for mania: towards greater specificity.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Impulsivity is elevated in bipolar disorder and can predict onset in at-risk individuals.
• Impulsivity is a broad construct, necessitating a nuanced understanding of its facets.
• Previous research indicates a link between impulsivity and bipolar disorder, but specific aspects require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate which facets of impulsivity are most strongly correlated with mania risk.
• To test the hypothesis that difficulties controlling impulsive responses to emotions are specifically related to mania risk.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 257 undergraduates completed measures of emotion-relevant and non-emotional impulsivity.
• The Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS) was used to assess risk for mania.
• Analyses included partial correlations controlling for depressive symptoms and alcohol abuse.

Main Results:

• Risk for mania was significantly correlated with impulsive responses to positive emotions.
• Impulsivity related to general distress emotions or difficulties in following through was not correlated with mania risk.
• These findings held after controlling for depressive symptoms and alcohol abuse.

Conclusions:

• Specific aspects of impulsivity, particularly those linked to positive emotional states, are associated with mania risk.
• Understanding these specific impulsivity facets can inform targeted interventions for bipolar disorder.
• Further research is needed to explore the limitations and future directions of these findings.