Study of empathy for pain in bipolar disorder / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the capability of empathy for pain in bipolar disorder (BD). Methods Thirty-two patients with BD (16, 8 and 8 in depressed, manic and remitted phases, respectively) and 32 healthy controls matched for age, gender and education were recruited. Empathy for pain paradigm were used. Subjects were required to judge whether the person in the picture felt painful and rate pain degree regarding to painful and neutral pictures. Accuracy, reaction time and ratings of pain degree were used as indicators of empathy for pain. Chinese version of Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI-C) were used to measure empathy. Results Compared to controls, accuracy of painful pictures was significantly lower in patients [(0.74±0.16) vs.(0.83±0.10), P<0.05]. Reaction time for both painful [(903.84±167.49) ms vs. (765.06±108.21) ms] and neutral [(880.44 ± 190.36) ms vs. (750.31 ± 103.15)ms] pictures were significantly longer in patients (P<0.05). Pa?tients showed lower scores in factors of perspective taking [(9.20±5.43) vs. (12.43±4.13)], fantasy [(11.85±4.57) vs. (15.50± 5.56)] and empathy concern [(14.59±5.35) vs. (17.63±3.37)] in IRI-C (P<0.05). Accuracy of painful pictures was positively correlated with scores in fantasy (r=0.37, P=0.04) and reaction time was positively correlated with duration of disease in pa?tients (r=0.64, P<0.01). Conclusion Bipolar disorder has deficit in the capability of empathy for pain.