What is it about?
We looked for differences between patients with Bipolar Disorder who were highly motivated to work and those who were not. We found that those who perceived deficits in memory, thought organization and other cognitive processes were less motivated to work. We also found that the longer they were in euthymia, the more motivated they felt.
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Why is it important?
The importance of these findings is the finding of an association between the perception of cognitive deficits and work motivation. Work motivation is the first step towards work-related functioning, a fundamental part of functional recovery --a concept that has been gaining attention in the past decade, as it goes beyond clinical recovery (remission of mood symptoms in the case of Bipolar Disorder). It is therefore important as a beginning for understanding the gap between euthymic patients with BD and non-bipolar people in terms of work-related functioning.
Perspectives
I hope this article helps clinicians take notice of the importance of symptoms that go beyond mood symptoms. It came somewhat as a surprise to the team finding such a strong correlation, as we all thought the number of mood episodes would be the main factor, as there is such a strong belief that BD is a degenerative disease. I was especially happy for the finding that the time in euthymia acted as a protective factor, as this represents real good news for patients reaching mood remission.
María Yoldi
National Institute of Psychiatry
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Work motivation in patients with bipolar disorder: Associated factors, International Journal of Social Psychiatry, April 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0020764019842270.
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