Suicide attempts: Patients with and without an affective disorder show impaired autobiographical memory specificity.

A number of studies have shown reduced recall of specific autobiographical memories (AMs) in patients after attempted suicide, but in all of them the study samples were confounded with diagnoses of affective disorders. The present study aims to demonstrate impaired specific autobiographical memory in patients after a suicide attempt without a diagnosis of an affective disorder. Four groups were compared: (1) patients with an actual major depression and a suicide attempt; (2) patients after a suicide attempt without a lifetime history of an affective diagnosis; (3) patients currently suffering from major depression without a suicide attempt; and (4) control persons not suffering from either of the two conditions during their entire life. Individuals with major depression and a suicide attempt showed reduced specificity of AM and, most importantly, patients with a suicide attempt-despite the absence of an affective disorder-were equally impaired with recall of specific AMs as were patients with major depression. The authors propose that reduced specific AM is a common vulnerability factor that can lead either to the development of an affective disorder and/or to a suicide attempt.

Autobiographical memory predicts cognitive but not somatic change in sleep apnea patients vulnerable for affective disorder.

BACKGROUND: Autobiographical memory style (AM) can serve as a marker for determining susceptibility for depression. Currently and formerly depressed persons show reduced specific memory for autobiographical events. AM also has proven to be a reliable predictor for the remissive course of depression. Recently the issue arose as to whether this predictive power depends on particular dimensions of depression (cognitive, somatic). METHODS: To replicate the predictability in vulnerable patients, we tested two groups of obstructive sleep apnea patients (OSAS) before and 2 months after initiation of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy (nCPAP). One group had a history of major depression (vulnerable persons; VUL), and the other group did not (NON-VUL). Sensitivity of AM on the dimensions of depression was assessed through two published versions of the cognitive and somatic subscales of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: There was a significant interaction of Group by AM recall after presentation of positively valenced cues (AMpos) on the cognitive but not on the somatic dimension of the BDI. Only in the VUL did AMpos predict recovery. LIMITATIONS: Generalizability to other patient populations awaits further research. Reliability of the vulnerability assessment prior to the OSAS onset was not established. CONCLUSIONS: First, our findings further support the trait assumption of AM. Second, the AM methodology suggests sensitivity to only the cognitive dimensions of depression.

Autobiographical memory predicts the course of depression during detoxification therapy in alcohol dependent men.

BACKGROUND: Recall of autobiographical memories (AM) has shown to predict the course of depression during psychiatric treatment [British Journal of Psychiatry 162 (1993)]; therefore, we assume that AM also predicts the remissive course of depression during detoxification therapy in alcohol dependent men. METHODS: In a longitudinal study, 65 patients were assessed twice: at admission to a detoxification unit and about 3 weeks later for follow-up. AM scores at the beginning of the detoxification program were used as predictors in hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS: After controlling for initial depression, mental status and degree of alcohol dependence, AM in response to positive and aggressive cue words significantly predicted affective change. These results validate the assumption that AM is a psychological depression marker. LIMITATIONS: No data are reported on depression prior to drinking onset. CONCLUSIONS: As a practical consequence, AM can assist the physician with the decision for concomittant antidepressive therapy during detoxification and rehabilitation of alcohol dependent men.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: autobiographical memory predicts the course of depressive affect after nCPAP therapy.

Although nCPAP therapy has proven to be efficient at removing symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), recovery from depression frequently remains unsatisfactory. Other studies have shown that recall of autobiographical memories (AM) is a psychological vulnerability marker for depression, and also have shown its predictive power for the course of depression. It is therefore hypothesized that AM also predict the course of depressive affect in OSAS patients. Fifty-four consecutively admitted OSAS patients received standard nCPAP therapy. Specificity of AM assessed at the beginning of treatment was used as a predictor in a regression analysis, and the extent of recovery from depression over a follow-up period of between six to nine weeks served as the criterion variable. The results supported the hypothesis that patients who were able to recall more specific AM in response to positively valenced cue words showed a more substantial recovery from depression. This has important treatment implications.