AbstractBackgroundPersisting self-blaming emotional biases were previously associated with vulnerability to major depressive disorder (MDD). More specifically self-contempt/disgust biases distinguished remitted MDD, compared with never-depressed control participants. The contribution of action tendencies to MDD vulnerability and their relationship with blame-related emotions to prepare for subsequent behaviour is elusive. Here, we investigated whether maladaptive action tendencies such as “creating a distance from oneself” and “hiding” are associated with MDD vulnerability, as well as with self-disgust/contempt and shame respectively.Methods76 participants with medication-free remitted MDD and 44 healthy control (HC) participants without a personal or family history of MDD completed the value-related moral sentiment task, which measured their blame-related emotions during hypothetical social interactions and a novel task to assess their blame-related action tendencies.ResultsAs predicted, the MDD group exhibited a higher proneness to feeling like hiding and creating a distance from themselves compared with the HC group. Interestingly, apologising for one’s wrongdoing, was associated with all self-blaming emotions including shame, guilt, self-contempt/disgust and self-indignation, but was more common in HC. In contrast, apologising and perceiving to be in control of one’s friend’s wrongdoings were more common in MDD. Although shame was indeed associated with hiding, this was also true of guilt. Self-disgust/contempt was associated with attacking rather than creating a distance from oneself.ConclusionsMDD vulnerability was associated with specific maladaptive action tendencies which were not clearly predicted by the type of emotion, thus unveiling novel cognitive markers and neurocognitive treatment targets.General Scientific summaryThis study confirmed the hypothesis that specific maladaptive action tendencies related to self-blame, such as feeling like hiding and feeling like creating a distance from oneself, were distinctive of people with major depressive disorder, even on remission of symptoms. These action tendencies were not clearly predicted by the type of emotion experienced, showing the importance of assessing them directly. This calls for novel psychological and neurocognitive treatments specifically aiming at maladaptive action tendencies which have so far not been directly addressed in standard assessments and treatments.
Plasma metabolomic profiling of a ketamine and placebo crossover trial of major depressive disorder and healthy control subjects
