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Is risk for mania associated with increased daydreaming as a form of mental imagery?

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Thomas Meyer, Lucy Finucane, Dr Gabriele Jordan

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Abstract

Background: Bipolar disorder and risk for mania are associated with setting high goals and dysregulated goal pursuit. One mechanism mediating between setting high goals and manic symptoms could be daydreaming or more generally, mental imagery. Akiskal et al. (1995) reported that daydreaming prospectively predicted a switch from unipolar depression to bipolar disorder. We here hypothesized that risk for mania should also be associated with increased daydreaming after controlling for depression. Method: N = 249 participants completed several self-report measures including the Hypomanic Personality scale and Daydreaming scale. Results: Hierarchical regression revealed that risk for mania predicted daydreaming after controlling for current and former depression. Limitations: Only self-report measures were used. Conclusions: Despite limitations our results support the hypothesis that vulnerability for mania is associated with daydreaming. Daydreaming was related to mania and depression which highlights that it might be relevant for the etiology or maintenance of mood disorders.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Meyer TD, Finucane L, Jordan G

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Affective Disorders

Year: 2011

Volume: 135

Issue: 1-3

Pages: 380-383

Print publication date: 25/06/2011

Date deposited: 06/02/2012

ISSN (print): 0165-0327

ISSN (electronic): 1573-2517

Publisher: Elsevier BV

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.06.002

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.06.002

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