Mindful Attention Awareness and Residual Mood and Anxiety Symptoms in Remitted Patients With Bipolar I Disorder.

Objective: In bipolar disorder, residual mood symptoms often persist even during the euthymic period, impairing functionality in 30-60% of patients in clinical remission. Addressing residual symptoms is critical as they are linked to reduced functionality and subjective wellbeing. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between mindful attention awareness (MASS) and residual symptom severity in bipolar I disorder. Methods: This study included 100 patients with bipolar I disorder (BD-I) in remission, recruited consecutively from outpatient clinics between December, 2019 and March, 2020. The patients were evaluated using the sociodemographic data form, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Results: As the MAAS of the patients increases, their depressive symptoms decrease ( Conclusion: Residual depressive and anxiety symptoms are predictive of lower MAAS in bipolar I disorder. Incorporating strategies to manage residual mood symptoms and improve mindfulness may enhance functionality and facilitate complete remission. However, given the cross-sectional design and the lack of a control group, causal inferences cannot be made. Further longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to explore the efficacy of mindfulness-based approaches in BD-I and determine whether the observed associations are specific to this disorder.