-
Behaviour Research and Therapy Apr 2017The present study investigated the relative effects of mindfulness, reappraisal and suppression in reducing sadness, and the extent to which implementation of these...
The present study investigated the relative effects of mindfulness, reappraisal and suppression in reducing sadness, and the extent to which implementation of these strategies affects cognitive resources in a laboratory context. A total of 171 Singaporean undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to receive brief training in mindfulness, reappraisal, or suppression prior to undergoing a sad mood induction. Individual adherence to Asian cultural values was assessed as a potential moderator of strategy effectiveness. Participants rated their mood and completed a Color-Word Stroop task before and after mood regulation instructions. Analyses using multi-level modelling showed that the suppression condition caused less robust declines in sadness over time compared to mindfulness. There was also a nonsignificant trend in which mindfulness was associated with greater sadness recovery compared to reappraisal. Suppression resulted in lower average sadness compared to mindfulness among those high on Asian cultural values, but not those low on Asian cultural values. Both mindfulness and reappraisal buffered against increases in Stroop interference from pre-to post-regulation compared to suppression. The findings highlight the advantage of mindfulness as a strategy effective not only in the regulation of sad mood, but also in the preservation of cognitive resources in the context of mood regulation.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Affect; Cognition; Culture; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; Female; Humans; Inhibition, Psychological; Male; Mindfulness; Stroop Test; Young Adult
PubMed: 28129574
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.01.006 -
Brain Sciences Jan 2023The study of the relationships between mood and creativity is long-standing. In this study, the effects of mood states on artistic creativity were investigated in ninety...
The study of the relationships between mood and creativity is long-standing. In this study, the effects of mood states on artistic creativity were investigated in ninety non-artist participants. Mood states were induced by instructing participants to listen to self-selected happy, sad, or neutral music for ten minutes. Then, all participants were asked to make two artistic drawings. To check for mood manipulation, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) was administered before and after listening to the self-selected music. After the mood induction, the negative group reported higher scores than the other two groups in the 'depression' subscale and lower scores than the other two groups in the 'vigour' subscale of the POMS; the positive mood group showed more vigour than the negative mood group. Yet, three independent judges assigned higher ratings of creativity and emotionality to the drawings produced by participants in the negative mood group than drawings produced by participants in the other two groups. These results confirmed that specific negative mood states (e.g., sadness) positively affect artistic creativity, probably because participants are more likely to engage in mood-repairing. Limitations and future research directions are presented.
PubMed: 36672130
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010149 -
Cognition & Emotion May 2018Experimental induction of sad mood states is a mainstay of laboratory research on affect and cognition, mood regulation, and mood disorders. Typically, the success of...
Experimental induction of sad mood states is a mainstay of laboratory research on affect and cognition, mood regulation, and mood disorders. Typically, the success of such mood manipulations is reported as a statistically significant pre- to post-induction change in the self-rated intensity of the target affect. The present commentary was motivated by an unexpected finding in one of our studies concerning the response rate to a well-validated sad mood induction. Using the customary statistical approach, we found a significant mean increase in self-rated sadness intensity with a moderate effect size, verifying the "success" of the mood induction. However, that "success" masked that, between one-fifth and about one-third of our samples (adolescents who had histories of childhood-onset major depressive disorder and healthy controls) reported absolutely no sadness in response to the mood induction procedure. We consider implications of our experience for emotion research by (1) commenting upon the typically overlooked phenomenon of nonresponse, (2) suggesting changes in reporting practices regarding mood induction success, and (3) outlining future directions to help scientists determine why some subjects do not respond to experimental mood induction.
Topics: Emotions; Humans; Psychological Techniques; Sadness
PubMed: 28466682
DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1321527 -
Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 2007For many years, researchers have suggested that abnormalities in circadian rhythms may underlie the development of mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BPD), major... (Review)
Review
For many years, researchers have suggested that abnormalities in circadian rhythms may underlie the development of mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BPD), major depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Furthermore, some of the treatments that are currently employed to treat mood disorders are thought to act by shifting or "resetting" the circadian clock, including total sleep deprivation (TSD) and bright light therapy. There is also reason to suspect that many of the mood stabilizers and antidepressants used to treat these disorders may derive at least some of their therapeutic efficacy by affecting the circadian clock. Recent genetic, molecular and behavioral studies implicate individual genes that make up the clock in mood regulation. As well, important functions of these genes in brain regions and neurotransmitter systems associated with mood regulation are becoming apparent. In this review, the evidence linking circadian rhythms and mood disorders, and what is known about the underlying biology of this association, is presented.
Topics: Biological Clocks; Bipolar Disorder; Circadian Rhythm; Depressive Disorder, Major; Gene Expression; Genes; Humans; Mood Disorders; Phototherapy; Seasonal Affective Disorder; Sleep Deprivation
PubMed: 17395264
DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2007.02.003 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2019The use of light for its antidepressant action dates back to the beginnings of civilization. Three decades ago, the use of bright-light therapy (BLT) for treating... (Review)
Review
The use of light for its antidepressant action dates back to the beginnings of civilization. Three decades ago, the use of bright-light therapy (BLT) for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) was officially proposed. Since then, a growing scientific literature reports its antidepressant efficacy in both unipolar and bipolar disorders (BD), with or without seasonal patterns. This review aims to examine the management of BLT as a personalized and precision treatment in SAD, unipolar, and BD. We conducted a narrative review using Medline and Google Scholar databases up to June 2018. BLT has physiological effects by resynchronizing the biological clock (circadian system), enhancing alertness, increasing sleep pressure (homeostatic system), and acting on serotonin, and other monoaminergic pathways. Effects of BLT on mood depend on several factors such as light intensity, wavelength spectrum, illumination duration, time of the day, and individual circadian rhythms. A growing body of evidence has been generated over the last decade about BLT evolving as an effective depression treatment not only to be used in SAD, but also in non-seasonal depression, with efficiency comparable to fluoxetine, and possibly more robust in patients with BD. The antidepressant action of BLT is fast (within 1-week) and safe, with the need in BD to protect against manic switch with mood stabilizers. Side effects might be nausea, diarrhea, headache, and eye irritation, and are generally mild and rare. This good safety profile may be of particular interest, especially in women during the perinatal period or for the elderly. The management of BLT needs to be clarified across mood disorders and future studies are expected to compare different dose-titration protocols, to validate its use as a maintenance treatment, and also to identify predictive biomarkers of response and tolerability. We propose clinical guidelines for BLT use in SAD, non-seasonal depression, and BD. BLT is an efficient antidepressant strategy in mono- or adjunct-therapy, that should be personalized according the unipolar or bipolar subtype, the presence or absence of seasonal patterns, and also regarding its efficacy and tolerability.
PubMed: 30881318
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00085 -
BMC Psychiatry Jun 2021Seasonal Affective Disorder is a recurrent depressive disorder which usually begins in the fall/winter and enters into remission in the spring/summer, although in some...
BACKGROUND
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a recurrent depressive disorder which usually begins in the fall/winter and enters into remission in the spring/summer, although in some cases may occur in the summer with remission in the autumn-winter. In this study the authors evaluated the association between seasonal changes in mood and behavior with psychiatric disturbance.
METHOD
Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Participants, students attending higher education and vocational courses (N = 324), were evaluated with the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) and the Screening Scale for Mental Health (ER80).
RESULTS
Among the respondents, 12.7% showed seasonal affective disorder (SAD), 29.0% showed subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder (s-SAD) and 58.3% did not show significant seasonal affective symptomatology. As for psychiatric morbidity, 36.6% of subjects with SAD and 13.8% of those with s-SAD were considered "psychiatric cases" whereas for subjects without SAD this value was only 3.2%.
CONCLUSIONS
There is a statistically significant association between psychiatric morbidity and seasonal affective disorder. This association corroborates the importance of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire in screening for seasonal fluctuations in mood and behavior related disorders, and the clinical need for recognition of these conditions, particularly associated suffering and disabilities.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Morbidity; Prevalence; Seasonal Affective Disorder; Seasons
PubMed: 34187417
DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03313-z -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021Previous research has shown that drawing improves short-term mood in children when used to distract from rather than express negative thoughts and feelings. The current...
Previous research has shown that drawing improves short-term mood in children when used to distract from rather than express negative thoughts and feelings. The current study sought to examine (a) drawing might elevate mood in children ages 6-12 by examining the role played by absorption, enjoyment, and perceived competence as well as entering an imaginary world; and (b) whether children spontaneously use drawing to distract from a sad mood. Across three studies, children were asked to think of a disappointing event. After a sad mood induction, they drew for 5 min. Mood was measured before and after the mood induction and after drawing. Three main findings emerged. First, drawing to distract led to greater absorption and enjoyment than did drawing to express. Second, children's mood improved equally when drawing imaginary and real scenes showing that the key ingredient is that the content of the drawings be distracting in nature. Third, drawing improved mood even when children were given no instructions on the content of their drawings and children were more likely to use drawing as a way to distract themselves from a sad mood. These studies help to define the characteristics of drawing activities that foster mood improvement in children and highlight the important role of the arts in emotion regulation.
PubMed: 33603704
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.622927 -
Canadian Family Physician Medecin de... Jun 1990Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a recently described mood disorder characterized by recurrent winter depressive episodes and summer remissions. The symptoms of SAD...
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a recently described mood disorder characterized by recurrent winter depressive episodes and summer remissions. The symptoms of SAD include DSM III-R criteria for recurrent major depression, but atypical depressive symptoms predominate with hypersomnia, hyperphagia and carbohydrate craving, and anergia. Seasonal affective disorder is effectively treated by exposure to bright light (phototherapy or light therapy), a novel antidepressant treatment. The authors review the syndrome of SAD, hypotheses about its pathophysiology, and the use of phototherapy to treat the disorder.
PubMed: 21233986
DOI: No ID Found -
Developmental Psychobiology Dec 2018Three studies elicited young infants' (aged 17-23 weeks) anger and sad facial expressions during brief contingency disruptions to explore their potential organization...
Three studies elicited young infants' (aged 17-23 weeks) anger and sad facial expressions during brief contingency disruptions to explore their potential organization over time as a biphasic process. Study 1 examined partial correlations among anger, sad, blended anger/sad, and neutral expressions during extinction in three extant, independently recruited samples. Across samples, all three negative expressions were inversely related to neutral expressions, but anger and sad expressions were not significantly correlated when anger/sad blends were controlled. Study 2 compared expressions during contingency and disruption minutes in two groups: one in which the disruption was an extinction phase (the absence of the formerly contingent event), or one in which the disruption was noncontingent presentations of the stimuli. Study 3 examined expression trajectories over time in two contingency and extinction sessions. Independent trajectories of anger and sad expressions occurred over time in Studies 2 and 3. Extinction and noncontingency differed in sad expression. The relation between expressions and blends also varied over time.
Topics: Anger; Extinction, Psychological; Facial Expression; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant Behavior; Learning; Male; Sadness
PubMed: 30221341
DOI: 10.1002/dev.21768 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Jun 2023Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is well documented in the medical literature, particularly in more northern latitudes in agreement with proposed hypotheses for SAD's... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is well documented in the medical literature, particularly in more northern latitudes in agreement with proposed hypotheses for SAD's pathophysiology. However, in the southern latitudes SAD's presence remains underexplored. The second largest country in the southern hemisphere is Australia. Australia has wide ranging geographical and climatic differences that are expected to support SAD's presence. The aim of this study is therefore, to establish an evidence base for SAD in Australia.
METHODS
PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for published peer-review studies focussed on, or related to SAD, winter depression or seasonal variation in mood in Australia. There were no time-period restrictions.
RESULTS
Thirteen studies were identified. Studies explored the presence/nature of SAD, contributing factors, autonomic activity, treatment, and the validity of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire in the Australian population. An association between changes in mood and behaviour and seasonal occurrence was clearly identified, with SAD's presence varying by location. The highest percentage of study participants with SAD in a single location was observed in Tasmania, Australia's most southern state. The findings and interpretations of the studies included in this review are subject to the number of locations assessed, the number of studies undertaken at each location and individual study limitations.
CONCLUSIONS
Ascertaining information on the prevalence and correlates of SAD in the southern hemisphere, particularly in high-risk locations could contribute to clinical literacy into the syndrome, support management practices, and promote the early identification and treatment of the disorder.
Topics: Humans; Seasonal Affective Disorder; Australia; Phototherapy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Seasons
PubMed: 37167837
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.05.003