Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jun 1;19(3):189-194.
doi: 10.1177/0963721410370292.

The Role of the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Lauren B Alloy  1 , Lyn Y Abramson
Affiliations

The Role of the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Lauren B Alloy et al. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. .

Abstract

Bipolar spectrum disorders are characterized by highs and lows of mood, energy, motivation, cognition, and activity. The behavioral approach system (BAS) dysregulation theory provides an integrated model for understanding psychosocial and biological features of bipolar disorders. The theory emphasizes the role that sensitivity to rewards and goals plays in bipolar disorder. We review theory and evidence for the BAS-dysregulation model of bipolar disorders. We consider whether high BAS sensitivity is a correlate of, vulnerability factor for, and predictor of the course of bipolar spectrum disorders. We also discuss BAS-relevant life events as triggers of bipolar mood episodes. Finally, we address the implications of the BAS model for treatment and prevention of bipolar disorders and suggest directions for further research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared that they had no conflicts of interest with respect to their authorship or the publication of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The spectrum of bipolar disorders. Severity increases from Cyclothymia to Bipolar II disorder to Bipolar I disorder. Cyclothymia involves recurrent hypomanic and depressive episodes that do not meet diagnostic criteria for mania and major depression, respectively. Bipolar II involves hypomanic episodes and at least one major depressive episode. Bipolar I involves at least one manic episode.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The behavioral approach system (BAS) dysregulation model of bipolar disorder. High BAS sensitivity is the vulnerability factor that interacts with stress (BAS-activation-relevant or BAS-deactivation-relevant life events) to lead to excessive BAS activation or deactivation, respectively. Excessive BAS activation or deactivation lead, in turn, to hypomanic or manic or depressive episodes, respectively. In addition, (hypo)manic or depressive symptoms can also increase the likelihood of experiencing BAS-activation and BAS-deactivation life events in the stress-generation portion of the model (see Alloy et al., 2009; Urosevic et al., 2008).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY. A Behavioral Approach System (BAS) dysregulation perspective on bipolar spectrum disorders: Theory and evidence. James McKeen Cattell Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in Applied Psychological Research Address; Presented at the meeting of the Association for Psychological Science; San Francisco, CA. 2009. May,
    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Urosevic S, Bender RE, Wagner CA. Longitudinal predictors of bipolar spectrum disorders: A Behavioral Approach System (BAS) perspective. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 2009a;16:206–226. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Urosevic S, Nusslock R, Jager-Hyman S. Course of early-onset bipolar spectrum disorders during the college years: A Behavioral Approach System (BAS) dysregulation perspective. In: Miklowitz DJ, Cicchetti D, editors. Bipolar disorder: A developmental psychopathology approach. New York: Guilford Press; (in press)
    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Walshaw PD, Cogswell A, Smith JM, Neeren AM, Hughes ME, Iacoviello BM, Gerstein RK, Keyser J, Urosevic S, Nusslock R. Behavioral Approach System (BAS) sensitivity and bipolar spectrum disorders: A retrospective and concurrent behavioral high-risk design. Motivation and Emotion. 2006;30:143–155.
    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Walshaw PD, Gerstein RK, Keyser JD, Whitehouse WG, Urosevic S, Nusslock R, Hogan ME, Harmon-Jones E. Behavioral Approach System (BAS) – relevant cognitive styles and bipolar spectrum disorders: Concurrent and prospective associations. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2009b;118:459–471. - PMC - PubMed

Recommended Reading

    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Urosevic S, Walshaw PD, Nusslock R, Neeren AM. The psychosocial context bipolar disorder:Environmental, cognitive, and developmental risk factors. Clinical Psychology Review. 2005;25:1043–1075. - PubMed

    1. A comprehensive review of psychological, environmental, and developmental risk factors for bipolar disorders.

    1. Alloy LB, Abramson LY, Urosevic S, Bender RE, Wagner CA. A more detailed presentation of many aspects of the present article. 2009 (See References)
    1. Depue RA, Iacono WG. A historical classic; one of the first presentations of the BAS-dysregulation model of bipolar disorders. 1989 (See References)
    1. Johnson SL. An excellent review of the role of goal-striving in mania. 2005 (See References)

LinkOut - more resources