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Previous studies could show a complex relationship between alcohol consumption and cognition but also with processes of ageing both social and biological. Acute effects of alcohol during intoxication include clinical signs such as excitation and reduced inhibition, slurred speech, and increased reaction time but also cognitive dysfunction, especially deficits in memory functions. However, these cognitive deficits during alcohol intoxication are reversible while patients with alcohol addiction and chronic alcohol intake show severe impairments of cognitive functions especially deficits in executive functions. Frontal executive impairments in these patients include deficits in problem solving, abstraction, planning, organizing, and working memory.Additionally, gender specific deficits are relevant for the course of the disease and its concomitant health problems with female alcoholics showing a higher vulnerability for cognitive dysfunction and brain atrophy at earlier stages of alcoholism history.

Studies have reported difficulties in decision making for patients with schizophrenia or depression. Here, we investigated whether there are differences between schizophrenia patients, depressed patients, and healthy individuals (HC) when decisions are to be made under risk and cognitive flexibility is required. We were also interested in the relationships between decision making, cognitive functioning, and disease severity. Thirty HC, 28 schizophrenia patients, and 28 depressed patients underwent structured clinical assessments and were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale or Hamilton Rating Scale. They performed the Probability-Associated Gambling (PAG) Task and a neuropsychological test battery. Both patient groups obtained lower scores than HC in memory and executive function measures. In the PAG task, relative to HC, depressed patients made slower decisions but showed a comparable number of advantageous decisions or strategy flexibility. Schizophrenia patients were slower, riskier, and less flexible compared to HC. For them, the decision making behavior correlated with the symptom severity. In both groups, decision making scores correlated with memory and executive function scores. Patients with schizophrenia or depression may have difficulties under risk when quick and flexible decisions are required. These difficulties may be more pronounced in patients who have marked cognitive deficits or severe clinical symptoms.

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Introduction: aggression and self-harm are often encountered in daily clinical routines. A better understanding of these behaviors is important. Objectives: We investigated with self-report measures the kind of relationship between aggression, impulsivity, self-harm, suicide attempts and third party observation of staff. We Aimed at analyzing whether there is a relation between: impulsivity, self-harm aggression (self report measures) and similar reported behavior by third party observations of staff. Methods: patients were assessed using the Barrett-Impulsivity-Scale (BIS-15), the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (QNSSI). Recent patient health records were analyzed for aggression, self-harm and suicide attempts. Results: N=34; 12 male, 22 female; mean age: 45.26 sd.: 9.54. Recent suicide attempts (RSA) N=7 and impulsivity were not significantly related (U= 90, p=.87), also recent self-harm (RSH) N=9 and impulsivity (U= 112 p=. 984) showed no relationship on a statistically significant level. Statistically significant correlations were found between the AQ sum scale and impulsivity (r=.38 p=.027) and for the AQ subscales: anger (r= .34 p= .049) and physical aggression (r= .36 p= .04). Verbal aggression was also significantly correlated to impulsivity (r= .342, p= .048). Surprisingly no sex differences could be found for AQ and BIS-15. Recent self-harm and recent suicide attempts were not significantly correlated to any of the scales. Conclusions: Aggressive behavior coincides with impulsivity whereas self-harm and suicide attempts are not related to self-harming behavior in psychiatric inpatients.