“The relationship between affective temperament and facial emotions expression with depersonalization and derealization symptoms in a sample of bipolar eutimic patients”

ABSTRACT Introduction: The aim of our study is to evaluate, in a sample of bipolar (BD) eutimic patients, the association between depersonalization symptoms, facial emotions expression recognition and affective temperament. Method: 95 bipolar eutimic patients (YMRS< 6 and HDRS< 8), are assessed with: SCID-P, TEMPS, SCI-DER e POFA (test of recognition of facial emotions expression by Ekman e Friesen). Results: Throught a regression analysis we underline that, independently to panic disorder, the ipertimic temperament is associated with: major recognition of happiness (p< 0.001; β=-4,483) and minor recognition of anger (p=0.005; β=3,202) in BD patients with high scores in autopsychic depersonalization domain; major recognition of sadness (p=0.001; β=-3,944) and minor recognition of anger (p=0.005; β=3,181) in BD patients with high scores in affective depersonalization domain. Moreover, the cyclotimic temperament is associated with: major recognition of surprise (p=0.004; β=-3,233) and happiness (p=0.044; β=-2,124) in BD patients with high scores in Derealization (DER-TOT); major recognition of surprise (p=0.001; β=-3,792) and happiness (p=0.018; β=-2,532) in BD patients with high scores in somatopsychic depersonalization domain. Conclusion: The presence of depersonalization and derealization symptoms is associated with a selective deficit in the recognition of several emotions. In bipolar patients this selective deficit is dependent of type of affective temperament. Further research is warranted to replicate our clinical observation.