Abstract

PREISS, Marek et al. Cognitive deficits in hospitalized and never hospitalized remitted unipolar depressive patients. Eur. J. Psychiat. [online]. 2010, vol.24, n.3, pp.129-135. ISSN 0213-6163.

Background and Objectives: Little is known about the differences between patients managing depression on an outpatient basis as compared with hospitalized ones. This study investigated the performance of attention, executive function and verbal memory during remission from unipolar depressive episodes and compare patients with and without history of hospitalization. Methods: The sample of participants who had undergone one or more hospitalizations (hospitalized, N = 46) as well as in a sample without hospitalization (never hospitalized, N = 46) and controls (N = 92) were used. The Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and the Trail Making Test (TMT) were administrated to test this hypothesis. Results and conclusion: The hospitalized sample had similar results in all four neuropsychological variables in comparison with the never hospitalized group, and both groups had some lower results in comparison with controls. In comparison with the controls, hospitalized sample had mean cognitive deficits of 34% (28-41%), the never hospitalized group had a mean of 20% (21-35%). Contrary to previous reports we have found no meaningful differences between the two patient groups.

Keywords : Hospitalization; Major depressive episode; Remission; Cognitive function; Course of illness; Outcome.

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