Cognitive Dysfunctions in Depressive Patients

Abstract

: Cognition is the word often used to describe the fundamental capacity to think. Its disturbance in depression is probably what most bothers patients and their families and not the symptoms, they are usually used to measure and diagnose the condition. It has also become clear that depression has an enduring impact on memory function, attention and other domains of cognition with major implication for neurological explanation of depression. Cognitive functions have thus become an increasingly central target for emergent interest and relevance. These developments have also reignited interest in patient experience and the possibility that may be blunted in depression, but also as a consequence of its treatment. Past studies on depression have documented cognitive dysfunctions significantly. Aim - In this study an attempt was made to assess and compare the cognitive impairment in depressive patients and normal subjects. Methodology- The sample was selected from Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS). Hindi adaptation of Cognitive Symptoms Checklist and Beck Depression Inventory were administered on 50 depressive patients and 50 normal controls. Results of the study suggest significant difference in cognitive functions between depressive patients and normal subjects. Depressive patients showed more deficits in Attention, Memory and Executive Functioning on Cognitive Symptoms Checklist (CSC) than normal controls.