Avaliação do efeito da psicoterapia de grupo sobre as funções cognitivas de pacientes com esclerose múltipla que apresentam simultaneamente alterações cognitivas e depressão Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease considered to be of autoimmune origin and characterized by focal inflammatory-demyelinating lesions, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration of the central nervous system (CNS), affecting the white matter, cortex and deep gray matter of the brain 1 . The demyelination associated with MS lesions and axonal degeneration is responsible for neurological disabilities in patients with MS 1 . One or more psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety and depression, are observed in approximately 80% of individuals with MS 2,3 . Schiffer noted that a high incidence and prevalence of depressive symptoms have been reported in MS compared to many other neurological diseases 4 . Assessments with neuropsychological tests can identify the presence of cognitive dysfunction in 65% of patients with MS, compared to only 5% of outpatient controls 5 . Cognitive dysfunction, independent of the physical disability created by the disease itself, is an important factor that impairs routine daily activities and decreases labor productivity 6,7,8 . Cognitive disorders observed in MS usually affect memory,

Re cei ved/Ge lifl Ta ri hi: 13.11.2012 Ac cep ted/Ka bul Ta ri hi: 23.01.2013 Özet Amaç: Multipl skleroz (MS), mobilite ve fonksiyonel aktivitelerde değişik derecelerde özürlülüğe yol açan, kişinin sosyal ve meslek hayatında kısıtlamalara neden olarak ileri düzeyde engellilik yaratan ve yaşam kalitesini bozan bir hastalıktır. Hastaların büyük bir kısmında depresyon gözlenmektedir. Ayrıca kognitif fonksiyonlarda da bozulma (KFB) meydana gelmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, MS'li hastalarda depresyon ve KFB sıklığını belirlemektir. Bulgular: Çalışmaya katılan 108 MS olgusunun; %69,4'ü (n=75) kadın, %30,6'sı (n=33) erkektir. Hastaların %19,5'inde (n=21) depresyon, %41,7'sinde (n=45) ise KFB tespit edilmiştir. Hastaların %13,9'unda (n=15) ise hem depresyon ve hem de KFB gözlenmiştir. Ge reç ve Sum maryObjective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) not only leads to different levels of disabilities in mobility and functional activities, but also creates severe disability and impairs the quality of life by limiting the patient's social and occupational life. Most MS patients experience depression. In addition, cognitive dysfunction is also present. In this study we aimed to determine the frequency of depression and cognitive dysfunction in MS patients. Ma te ri al and Met hod:One hundred and eight patients diagnosed with MS were evaluated. was by using Brief Re sults: Of the 108 MS subjects who participated in the study, 69.4% (n=75) were female, while 30.6% (n=33) were male. Depression was detected in 19.5% (n=21) of the patients, and cognitive dysfunction was found in 41.7% (n=45). Depression and cognitive dysfunction were detected simultaneously in 13.9% (n=15) of the patients.Dis cus si on: Depression and cognitive dysfunction are not rare in patients with MS. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to treat the patients diagnosed with MS.