The role of mental imagery, dysfunctional attitudes and perfectionism in mood elevation in bipolar disorders

Linh Tran, Dieu and Richardson, Thomas (2024) The role of mental imagery, dysfunctional attitudes and perfectionism in mood elevation in bipolar disorders. International Society for Bipolar Disorders conference 2025, , Reykjavik, Iceland. 29 Sep - 01 Oct 2024. 1 pp .

Abstract

Aims: previous studies have looked at how mental imagery, dysfunctional attitudes and perfectionism contributed to hypomanic/manic symptoms in bipolar disorders (BD). This study explored whether positive mental imagery induced higher mood changes in people with BD and whether risks of BD, general use of imagery, perceived vividness of imagery, dysfunctional attitudes and perfectionism positively predicted mood changes after generating positive imagery.

Methods: participants (23 participants with BD and 58 controls) completed a questionnaire, which included the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, Hypomanic Personality Scale, Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Spontaneous Use of Imagery and a single-item vividness measure. A positive imagery task (PIT) guided participants to generate positive mental imagery. Participants’ mood and activation were measured both before and after the PIT.

Results: the BD group experienced higher activation than the control group. Both groups experienced no difference in mood and lower activation after the PIT. After controlling for measures at baseline, higher risks of BD and lower levels of dysfunctional attitudes predicted higher post-PIT mood; higher general use of imagery predicted higher post-PIT activation. Vividness and perfectionism did not predict either mood or activation.

Conclusion: positive mental imagery does not amplify high mood. Risks of BD, general use of imagery and dysfunctional attitudes predict mood changes after positive imagery generation. These findings contribute to the understanding of BD and the application of psychotherapies for BD. Further investigations should be conducted to address the limitations of this study.

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Contributors

Author: Thomas Richardson

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