Psychoactive substances act on the central nervous system producing mental and behavioral changes leading to clinical manifestations associated with drug abuse. Objective: To evaluate the motor ability and attention span among individuals dependent on psychotropic drugs, who were in treatment in a psychiatric hospital. Method: A single case study, whose unit of analysis was a hospital, assessed the motor skills and attention span of 10 male individuals addicted to illicit psychotropic drugs, with mean age of 31.9 ± 7.07 years and average hospitalization of 23.9 days. The following instruments were used: a structured socio-demographic interview, the Motor Scale for Elderly (EMTI) adapted, and the Trail Making Test (TMT A and B). The average age at first consumption was 15.1 years; and there was a slower performance in the TMT A and B in all age groups. In general motor ability, individuals were classified as follows: two “superior”, two “above average”, five “average”, and one “below average”. Results: Their temporal organization was the variable with the lowest performance. Conclusion: Attention deficits were encountered along with average general motor ability and a strong negative association or correlation between motor performance and attention span.

An important part of the patients are affected with Mental Disorder associate with the cognitive alterations and its exercises an influence in the patient's daily routine.This field study, a descriptive diagnostic encompassing the case and had as objective to evaluate the cognitive aspects: motor aptitude and attention.The sample was the intentional kind, composed of female patients with diagnosis of Mental Disorder (major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder) according to DSM IV, in depressive condition, from 22 to 55 years old, interned in a psychiatric hospital.For the evaluation of the motor aptitude it was used the Motor Aptitude Rank for the Elderly (Escala Motora para a Terceira Idade - EMTI - Pink Grandson, 2002) adapted that evaluates the general and specific motor aptitude: Specific Motricity, Global Motricity, Balance, Corporal Design, Space Organization, Shedule Organization. It was used the TMT (Trail Making Test - parts A and B - neuropsychological battery Halstead-Reitan) to evaluate the attention (Reitan, 1958).The data had been organized and analyzed through descriptive statistics and correlation analysis.Results:General Motor Aptitude (GMA) was classified as Normal Low; Global Motricity, Balance, Corporal Design, Space Organization and Schedule Organization had low output; the worse execution in the TMT indicating attention deficit disorder; the increasing of the time in the execution of the TMT proportional to the increase of the age; a negative value of the correlation of the GMA and the attention, a bigger slowness in the execution of the TMT tests shows minors values of GMA.

Psychoactive substances act on the central nervous system producing mental and behavioral changes leading to clinical manifestations associated with drug abuse. Objective: To evaluate the motor ability and attention span among individuals dependent on psychotropic drugs, who were in treatment in a psychiatric hospital. Method: A single case study, whose unit of analysis was a hospital, assessed the motor skills and attention span of 10 male individuals addicted to illicit psychotropic drugs, with mean age of 31.9 ± 7.07 years and average hospitalization of 23.9 days. The following instruments were used: a structured socio-demographic interview, the Motor Scale for Elderly (EMTI) adapted, and the Trail Making Test (TMT A and B). The average age at first consumption was 15.1 years; and there was a slower performance in the TMT A and B in all age groups. In general motor ability, individuals were classified as follows: two "superior", two "above average", five "average", and one "below average". Results: Their temporal organization was the variable with the lowest performance. Conclusion: Attention deficits were encountered along with average general motor ability and a strong negative association or correlation between motor performance and attention span.