Citation

Marchand WR. Depress. Res. Treat. 2012; 2012(online): 246725.

Affiliation

Research Service, George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Hindawi Publishing)

DOI

10.1155/2012/246725

PMID

21961061

PMCID

PMC3180071

Abstract

Bipolar depression is often refractory to treatment and is frequently associated with anxiety symptoms and elevated suicide risk. There is a great need for adjunctive psychotherapeutic interventions. Treatments with effectiveness for depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as suicide-related thoughts and behaviors would be particularly beneficial. Mindfulness-based interventions hold promise, and studies of these approaches for bipolar disorder are warranted. The aim of this paper is to provide a conceptual background for such studies by reviewing key findings from diverse lines of investigation. Results of that review indicate that cortical midline structures (CMS) appear to link abnormal self-referential thinking to emotional dysregulation in mood disorders. Furthermore, CMS and striatal dysfunction may play a role in the neuropathology underlying suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. Thus, combining studies of mindfulness interventions targeting abnormal self-referential thinking with functional imaging of CMS and striatal function may help delineate the neurobiological mechanisms of action of these treatments.

Language: en