ABSTRACT
Major depression is associated with impairments of executive functions and affect perception deficits, both being linked to dysfunction of fronto-subcortical networks. So far, little is known about the relationship between cognitive and affective deficits in major depression. In the present investigation, affect perception and executive functions were assessed in 29 patients with a diagnosis of major depression (Dep) and 29 healthy controls (HC). Both groups were comparable on IQ, age, and gender distribution. Depressed patients showed deficits of perception of affective prosody, which were significantly related to inhibition, set shifting, and working memory. Our findings suggest a significant association between cognitive deficits and affect perception impairments in major depression, which may be of considerable clinical relevance and might be addressed in treatment approaches. Future studies are desirable to investigate the nature of the association in more detail.
Subject(s)
Affect , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Depressive Disorder, Major/psychology , Speech Acoustics , Speech Perception , Adult , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis , Facial Expression , Female , Humans , Male , Memory, Short-Term , Neuropsychological Tests , Pattern Recognition, Visual , Reaction Time , Semantics , Set, Psychology , Trail Making TestABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Subjective quality of life (QoL) is an indispensable part of the current concept of health. Therefore it should serve as a criterion for treatment planning in social psychiatric institutions. AIM: We looked at the QoL of our outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia in order to identify possible areas of life that might need further attention in treatment planning. METHODS: We used the short German version of the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile (BLEP-KF) to evaluate the QoL of 164 schizophrenic outpatients. All patients were diagnosed with the International Diagnostic Checklists (IDCL) for ICD-10. Demographic and treatment data are analysed cross-sectionally in relation to their QoL. RESULTS: The majority of patients was moderately happy with their general QoL. They were least satisfied in the domains of job and financial situation, mental health and sexuality. Psychopathology and especially the quality of individual care had a significant influence on the evaluation of QoL. CONCLUSION: This result supports an argument in favour of more individual patient-centred forms of case management to reduce the burden of severe psychopathological symptoms experienced in everyday activities by patients suffering from schizophrenia.
