No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This study examined time perception, time experience and time perspective in bipolar disorder. In a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design, 58 bipolar participants completed a clinical interview to assess mood and were assigned to one of three mood state groups; euthymic, depressed or mania. Furthermore, 20 health professionals without a diagnosis of bipolar disorder were recruited as a control group. Therefore, 78 participants in total completed a temporal generalisation computer task (Wearden, 1992), a visual analogue scale of time experience (Blewitt, 1992) and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI, Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999). Results indicated that the manic group were significantly less accurate on the temporal generalisation task indicating a deficit in time perception. However, no significant differences in performance were found between the control, euthymic and depressed groups. Furthermore, in an unfilled duration, depressed participants rated the subjective passing of time as significantly slower than the other groups. Additionally, the manic group rated time as passing significantly faster than the other groups in an unfilled duration. However, when focussed upon a task (filled duration) this effect was reduced to the extent that no significant differences between the groups were found. Finally, significant differences were found between the group profiles on the ZTPI subscales indicating that different mood states were characterised by specific temporal perspectives. The results suggest that bipolar mood states are characterised by differences in temporal experience and this has direct implication for psychological interventions.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

<i>Background.</i> Bipolar disorder is characterised by recurrent acute episodes of mania and depression with the common occurrence of subsyndromal symptoms between episodes. Episode recurrence and frequent inter-episode symptoms have made identification of the factors that influence relapse an important focus for research in bipolar disorder. <i>Objective.</i> To determine whether dysregulation in bipolar disorder would be exhibited, outwith acute mania, in day-to-day variability and whether variability was associated with risk of relapse. <i>Design.</i> A prospective daily monitoring study was conducted with bipolar disorder and general population samples. Twenty participants with a bipolar episode experienced in the previous two years were recruited from a Lithium Clinic. A control group often participants from the general population were recruited by opportunity sampling. Main outcome measures. Biological, behaviour, cognition, and affect measures included self-report measures of behavioural activation/inhibition, social rhythms, self esteem, positive affect, negative affect, elation, depression and objective actigraph estimation of the sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythms. <i>Results.</i> Lower self esteem, lower positive affect, higher negative affect, higher depression levels and greater variability in self esteem, night waking and sleep efficiency across 14 days were evident in bipolar disorder. Survival analyses suggested greater variability in self esteem and sleep efficiency predicted earlier admission in bipolar disorder. <i>Conclusions.</i> Greater day-to-day variability in bipolar disorder was observed compared to the general population. Underlying disturbances in biological, cognition and affect measures were evident in bipolar disorder. Findings were clinically important since sleep and self esteem disturbances may be considered as potentially modifiable in reducing risk of relapse in bipolar disorder.

The following portfolio consists of three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical study and a set of appendices. Part one is a systematic literature review, in which the theoretical, conceptual and empirical literature related to goal processes in bipolar disorder is reviewed. The review begins with an overview of the research in this area, and in particular the Behavioral Activation System dysregulation theory of bipolar disorder. It continues with a rationale for the current review. The paper describes the methods used to obtain included studies, and synthesises the results into conceptually similar goal processes. An overview of the findings and limitations of the research is followed by an analysis of the limitations of the review, clinical implications, suggestions for future research and conclusions. Part two is an empirical paper, which explores whether a novel imagery task and novel goal appraisal task are useful methods for the investigation of whether mood episodes in bipolar disorder are related to cognitive processes that amplify the effect of imagery in bipolar disorder. The effect of visual and verbal processing on mood and goal appraisal for participants in a control group are considered and compared to a small clinical group. The preliminary research findings and conclusions are followed by a discussion of the study’s clinical limitations and implications for future research. Part three comprises the appendices, which support the previous two parts. This includes a reflective statement and critical appraisal of the research process.