Cognitive distortions in patients with bipolar i disorder in remission

This research aims to evaluate the cognitive distortions of patients diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder (BD-I) in remission compared to healthy controls. In addition, the relationship between cognitive distortions and gender, age, educational level and marital status variables in BD-I patients was evaluated. Having legal permissions, the research has been applied on the patients with bipolar disorder (BD-I) aged over 18 years who were followed up in an outpatient at Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital, Psychiatry Polyclinic, Bipolar Unit. Of these participants, the aged over 18 years who agreed to participate in the study, constituted the study sample for a total of 61 participants. A random sampling method was used to constitute healthy controls who have not BD-I, similar to gender and age, a total of 51 participants. The research model is case-control study. Socio-demographic information form and Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS) were used as data collection tools in this research. Furthermore, the last two year attack histories were scanned from the recorded information of patients who in Bipolar Unit, and patients who had at least one attack with patients who in complete remission were specified in this process. According to the findings acquired in the research; cognitive distortions were higher in patients with bipolar 1 disorder (BD-I) in remission rather than healthy controls. The scores taken from cognitive distortions scale of 61 patients with bipolar disorder in remission according to DSM-5 criteria were compared with healthy controls. According to the findings; in patients with bipolar disorder in remission, cognitive distortions were significantly higher in the total score average (p=0,041) and achievement area score (p=0,039) than in healthy control group, but there was no significant difference in social area scores (p=0,107). The scores obtained from the cognitive distortions scale of BD-I patients in remission were compared according to age, gender, education level and marital status characteristics. Gender (total score p= 0,484; achievement area score p=0,512; social area score p=0,512), age (total score p=0,576; achievement area score p=0,758; social area score p=0,407), education level (total score p=0,967; achievement area score p=0,833; social area score p=0,858) and marital status (total score p=0,107; achievement area score p=0,224; social area score p=0,069), catastrophizing (p=0,016), bipolar thinking (p=0,048), personalization (p=0,044) which are cognitive distortionsin BD-I patients who had at least one attack in the last two years (total score p=0,027; achievement area score p=0,033; social area score p=0,03). The results of this study showed that cognitive distortions were higher in BD-I patients compared to healthy controls, but did not correlate with sociodemographic variables such as gender, marital status, education level and age. The fact that cognitive distortions were found to be lower in patients who had been in remission for two years compared to patients who had episodes in the last two years suggested that cognitive distortions might be associated with the risk of episode development in BD-I patients.