A cross-sectional study on the impact of early systematic antidepressant therapy on positive/negative affect and impulsivity in euthymic bipolar disorder patients

by Dongyu Han, Peng Cui, Mingjin Wang, Xiaofei Hou, Chenghao Yang, Jie Li Background and objectives Due to an initial misdiagnosis, bipolar patients who experienced a depressive episode as their first onset were often treated with antidepressants, and continued to exhibit sleep disturbances and elevated impulsivity, even during periods of euthymia. The study aims to assess the effect of systematic antidepressant treatments in the early stages on impulsivity and positive/negative affect in patients with bipolar euthymic disorder.

Additionally, it explores the potential mediating effects of positive/negative affect on the relationship between antidepressant uses and impulsivity. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 124 Han Chinese patients with bipolar disorder (BD), who were equally divided into two groups based on a history of systematic antidepressant treatments in the early stages: the systematic antidepressant treatment (AT) group and the no antidepressant treatment (NT) group.

Participants were assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Statistical analyses included Chi-square tests, t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and mediation analysis using bootstrapping.