Abstract

RANGEL URREA, Óscar René  and  SANCHEZ PEDRAZA, Ricardo. The Study of the Latent Structure of the Manic Syndrome Using Multidimensional Scaling Techniques. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2010, vol.39, n.2, pp.240-250. ISSN 0034-7450.

Introduction and Objective: To date, some reports about dimensions of mania suggest that the importance of affective symptoms is controversial. The objective of this study was to investigate the latent structure of the manic syndrome by using classical methods of factor analysis for ordinal variables and multidimensional scaling. Method: 404 consecutively admitted patients with DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder, manic, hypomanic or mixed were analyzed using the EMUN scale. Factor analysis for ordinal variables and multidimendional scaling were carried out. Results: Factor analysis evidenced four clinically interpretable factors (activation, cognitive, affective, depression) with activation being the most important domain. Multidimensional scaling confirmed activation as an identifiable factor that is a central constituent of the syndrome, and affective symptoms as a secondary component. Hipersexuality seems to be an isolated symptom, probably reflecting other latent dimensions. Conclusion: Mania is the expression of four dimensions. The core domain of the syndrome is activation. Although depressive symptoms are not the main component, its evaluation during manic, hypo- manic or mixed states is essential.

Keywords : Bipolar disorder; diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders; psychological models; statistical factor analysis.

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