ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this article is to compare differences in metacognitive beliefs between bipolar disorder type I depressed (BPD1) patients with Unipolar Depression (UPD) patients, and a control group; and to discuss the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and depression parameters. Methods: Sixty six consecutive outpatients with a diagnosis of depressed BPD1, 70 patients with UPD and 70 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Following assessment with the Sociodemographic Data Form, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales (HAM-A), Young Mania Evaluation Scale, and the Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30). Results: UPD and BPD1 patients included in the study had higher scores in metacognitive beliefs other than positive beliefs compared with healthy controls (p<0.05), but no significant difference was found between the BPD1 and UPD groups (p>0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between the HAM-A, HAM-D scores and MCQ-30 scores in UPD group (p<0.05) but not in BPD1 group (p>0.05). Discussion: The metacogitive structures of UPD and BPD1, may be helpful in identifying and choosing the right treatment modality. We think that our results may have implications for the metacognitive approaches in the treatment of BPD1.

Abstract Background Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been recently used to investigate neuropsychiatric disorders. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) and the ganglion cell layer (GCL) volume in patients with type 1 bipolar disorder (BPD1, diagnosed according to DSM 5) to the values in healthy controls. Methods Eighty consecutive outpatients with a diagnosis of euthymic BPD1 and 80 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Following assessment with the Sociodemographic Data Form, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Hamilton Depression Scale and Young Mania Evaluation Scale, both groups underwent Optical coherence tomography (OCT). Results The mean RNFL thickness and mean GCL volume were significantly lower in the BPD1 group than in the controls (p < 0.05). The GCL global value had a significant and independent effect in distinguishing the BPD1 patients from the controls. A cut-off value of 101 mm3 for global GCL volume was proposed to distinguish BPD1 patients from controls with a sensitivity of 87.5%. Discussion Lower values of GCL volume and RNFLT in patients suffering from BPD1 suggest that neurodegeneration may occur during the course of BPD and that this degeneration can be characterized in particular by a thinning of the GCL volume.