IMPAIRED NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE IN EUTHYMIC PATIENTS WITH RECURRING MOOD DISORDERS

Background: Both patients suffering from schizophrenia and patients su ffering from recurring mood disorder show cognitive impairments as est ablished by a variety of neuropsychological tests. The aim of the pres ent study was to investigate the neuropsychological performance of eut hymic patients who had recurring mood disorder and the possible relati onship between episodes of hospitalization and cognitive impairments. Method: Twenty-six euthymic patients with a DSM-III-R recurring mood d isorder diagnosis were investigated by using the Synonym Reasoning and Block-Test Battery and a part of the Halstead-Reitan Test Battery. Re sults: An overall lowered performance in the test results was found, T here was a significant positive relationship between four different te sts and the number of hospitalization episodes; the patients with impa ired cognitive functioning had significantly more hospitalization epis odes than patients with normal cognitive functioning. Conclusion: The results suggest that a subgroup of patients with recurring mood disord er are defined by more relapses and episodes of hospitalization and sh ow cognitive dysfunctions even when euthymic.