Severe anhedonia among adolescents with bipolar disorder is common and associated with increased psychiatric symptom burden

Abstract

Background: Anhedonia, a deficit in the ability to experience pleasure, is a cardinal symptom of major depressive episodes. In contrast to adolescent major depressive disorder, there is limited research examining anhedonia in the context of depression among adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD). We therefore examined clinical characteristics of anhedonia in a large sample of adolescents with BD.

Methods: Participants were 197 adolescents, aged 13-20 years old, with BD type I, II or not otherwise specified. Diagnoses were determined using a semi-structured interview. Anhedonia severity was rated from one to six on the Depression Rating Scale (DRS). Adolescents were divided into "severe" and "non-severe" anhedonia groups based on the DRS item scoring. The association of anhedonia with clinical and demographic variables was evaluated in univariate analyses followed by logistic regression analyses for variables with p ≤ 0.1.

Results: Threshold anhedonia was evident among 90.9% during their most severe depressive episode. Significant factors associated with severe most severe lifetime anhedonia ("lifetime anhedonia") included: female sex, lifetime history of self-injurious behavior, physical abuse, affective lability, higher lifetime depression severity, comorbid anxiety disorders, family history of ADHD, and second-generation antipsychotic use. In regression analyses, severe lifetime anhedonia was independently associated with female sex, comorbid anxiety disorders, most severe lifetime mania severity, and lifetime second-generation antipsychotic use.

Conclusion: The vast majority of adolescents with BD experience anhedonia. More severe anhedonia is associated with indicators of greater illness severity. Future research is warranted to evaluate the neurobiological underpinnings of anhedonia among adolescents with BD.

Keywords: Adolescent; Anhedonia; Bipolar disorder.