A comparative study of deficit pattern in theory of mind and emotion regulation methods in evaluating patients with bipolar disorder and normal individuals

BACKGROUND: This study compared patterns of deficit in "theory of mind" and "emotion regulation" in patientswith bipolar disorder and normal individuals. METHODS: In this causal-comparative study, subjects were 20 patients with bipolar disorder and 20 normalindividuals. Patients were selected via convenience sampling method among hospitalized patients at Razi hospital ofTabriz, Iran. The data was collected through two scales: Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and Emotion RegulationQuestionnaire. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. RESULTS: There were significant differences between patients with bipolar disorder and healthy individuals in theoryof mind and emotion suppression. Patient group achieved lower scores on theory of mind and higher scores onemotional suppression compared to the controls. But, in reassessment and total score of emotion regulation there wereno significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that both "theory of mind" and "emotion regulation" are impaired in patientswith bipolar disorder compared to healthy individuals and the patients are more liable to use suppression strategies.