EMDR for bipolar disorder: A systematic review of the existing studies in literature
Description
Objective:
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Up to 60% of patient with bipolar disorder (BD) present a history of traumatic events which is associated with greater episode severity, higher risk of comorbidity and higher relapse rates. Growing evidence suggests that incidences of childhood trauma are quite frequent in bipolar disorder and probably affect the clinical expression of the disease. The relationships between childhood trauma and bipolar disorder suggest several interpretations, mainly a causal link, a neurodevelopmental consequence, or the intergenerational transmission of traumatic experiences. Then is no surprising to diagnose in comorbidity with BD, also a PTSD for which the EMDR has been elected among the more appropriate treatment by the WHO (World Health Organization 2013). The purpose of this work is to examine the existing literature about Bipolar Disorder and EMDR treatment, and to point out its strengths and limits for a further and more efficient application of the EMDR on this severe disease.
Method:
A literature search was undertaken using all the available resources, on the web (PubliMed) and on the Journals that treated such topic, including contacting directly the authors of the studies and the Francine Shapiro Library.
Results:
Due to the few material available, it has been not possible to do a meta-analysis. The review is based on the all available sources (four articles) and study results.
Conclusions:
Although the available studies regarding EMDR application on bipolar disorders are at the moment really few, the outcome of each presented study seem to agree about some points: EMDR seems to be a promising treatment in terms of related trauma affective symptoms, and in terms of relapse prevention; EMDR, in fact, seems to elicite some positive effects in bipolar patients, including the treatment compliance and the disease awareness, so relevant in the therapeutic process of this psychopathological condition.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Up to 60% of patient with bipolar disorder (BD) present a history of traumatic events which is associated with greater episode severity, higher risk of comorbidity and higher relapse rates. Growing evidence suggests that incidences of childhood trauma are quite frequent in bipolar disorder and probably affect the clinical expression of the disease. The relationships between childhood trauma and bipolar disorder suggest several interpretations, mainly a causal link, a neurodevelopmental consequence, or the intergenerational transmission of traumatic experiences. Then is no surprising to diagnose in comorbidity with BD, also a PTSD for which the EMDR has been elected among the more appropriate treatment by the WHO (World Health Organization 2013). The purpose of this work is to examine the existing literature about Bipolar Disorder and EMDR treatment, and to point out its strengths and limits for a further and more efficient application of the EMDR on this severe disease.
Method:
A literature search was undertaken using all the available resources, on the web (PubliMed) and on the Journals that treated such topic, including contacting directly the authors of the studies and the Francine Shapiro Library.
Results:
Due to the few material available, it has been not possible to do a meta-analysis. The review is based on the all available sources (four articles) and study results.
Conclusions:
Although the available studies regarding EMDR application on bipolar disorders are at the moment really few, the outcome of each presented study seem to agree about some points: EMDR seems to be a promising treatment in terms of related trauma affective symptoms, and in terms of relapse prevention; EMDR, in fact, seems to elicite some positive effects in bipolar patients, including the treatment compliance and the disease awareness, so relevant in the therapeutic process of this psychopathological condition.
Format
Journal
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Bedeschi, L. (2018, June). EMDR for bipolar disorder: A systematic review of the existing studies in literature. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 15(3), 222-225
Citation
“EMDR for bipolar disorder: A systematic review of the existing studies in literature,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 12, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/25132.