Longitudinal study of the cognitive aspects in mood disorders

• Grant number: 12/05702-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: July 01, 2012
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Fundamentals and Assessments in Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Latife Yazigi
• Grantee: Hilda Gardênia Barros Guedes
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorder, and one of the most frequent problem in mental health. In the literature, there are many studies linking the MDD to cognitive and functional deficits, such as memory, attention, and executive functioning which are the most common impaired cognitive aspects mentioned. Purposes: To identify neuropsychological patterns in individuals who met diagnostic criteria for MDD, and who will be under a two years follow-up on psychotherapy treatment; also to identify the most impaired cognitive aspects of these individuals; and to evaluate the repercussion of the psychotherapy on the MDD. Method: Participants will be tested before starting psychotherapy, and re-tested annually, in follow-ups of one and two years. Instruments: The DSM-IV-R Structured Clinical Interview (SCID I) will be administered for the psychiatric diagnoses; the WAIS-III, the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, the RAVLT, and the WSCT will be administered for the cognitive assessment. Participants: Adult individuals, both genders, age from 18 to 60 years, who met criteria for MDD and who were attending a free university healthcare service in the Department of Psychiatry of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP/Brazil. The hypotheses of the present study are that individuals with MDD show deficits in the cognitive process, and that psychotherapy contributes for enhancements in neuropsychological aspects after a follow-up treatment. Keywords: Major Depressive Disorder, Cognitive Aspects, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychotherapy.