Early Maladaptive Schemas: A Comparison Between Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation, University Hospital of North Norway, NorwayBackground: It is still unclear how bipolar disorder (BD) differentiates from major depressive disorder(MDD)outsidemajormoodepisodes.Tofurtherelucidatethisarea,thepresentstudycomparedthetwomood disorders in terms of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) during remission.Method: The sample consisted of 49 participants with BD and 30 participants with MDD who werecurrently in remission. The participants completed the Young Schema Questionnaire.Results: The BD group scored significantly higher than the MDD group on seven EMSs: abandonment,failure to achieve, insufficient self-control, subjugation, unrelentin g standards, enmeshment and entitlement.Conclusion: By suggesting that EMSs are more severe in BD compared with MDD, the findings high-light potential vulnerabilities in BD, which merit further examination in terms of their underlyingcauses and potential treatment implications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Key Practitioner Message:† Earlymaladaptive schemas arerelevant psychological dimensions to consider inremitted phases of ma-jor mood disorders.† Findingsfromthecurrentstudysuggestthatearlymaladaptiveschemasaremoreprevalentinadultswithbipolar disorder compared to adults with major depressive disorder when measured during remission.† Interventions targeting early maladaptive schemas may be valuable in treatment of bipolar disorder.Keywords: Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Remission, Early Maladaptive Schemas