SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN CHRONICALLY HOSPITALIZEDGERIATRIC-PATIENTS WITH AFFECTIVE-DISORDERS

Background Affective disorders typically have a better outcome than sc hizophrenia, although recent evidence suggests that some patients with affective disorder have a relatively poor outcome, with cognitive imp airments and persistent symptomatology. Method Fifty chronically hospi talised geriatric patients with mood disorders (major depression or bi polar disorder) were compared on the clinical symptoms and aspects of cognitive impairment with 308 geriatric schizophrenic patients who wer e hospitalised at the same institution. The two samples did not differ in current age or in premorbid education level, but the affective pat ients had a later age of onset and more females in the sample. Results There were no overall differences in cognitive functioning between th e groups, although the clinical symptom profiles resembled those seen in better outcome patients. Conclusions Cognitive impairment is presen t in poor-outcome patients with affective disorders as well as schizop hrenia, suggesting that cognitive impairments predict poor outcome acr oss psychiatric disorders and not just in schizophrenia.