This paper addresses the issue of interaction between psychological and clinical factors, their role and importance in integrated clinico-psychological study aimed at improving the life quality among patients with epilepsy. The paper’s objective is to look into the clinical and psychological components in the approach to epilepsy. The study surveyed 317 patients aged between 18 to 65 years old, with focal epilepsy. Verification of patients’ diagnosis was based on the findings of clinico-neurological, psychopathological, pathopsychological, electroencephalographic examinations and brain computer-assisted tomography (CAT). The authors also employed the psychodiagnostic technique "Personal profile of the crisis." The comprehensive clinico-psychological survey of patients with epilepsy allowed the authors to substantiate the selection of 3 groups of mental changes. Clinico-psychopathologically, in group I (38% of patients), cerebrasthenic disorders combined with psychopathic and cognitive impairments are dominant. Clinico-psychopathologically, in group II (35% of patients) the mental changes are dominated by cerebrasthenic disorders, a slight decrease in mnestic-intellectual functions, changes in behavior and activities. Clinico-psychopathologically, in group III the mental changes (27% of patients) corresponded mainly to secondary impairments of the neurotic level. The studied parameters reflected the adaptedness of the patient's personality, which manifests itself as reconstruction of personality’s functional structures and systems affected by the disease.

Cognitive impairments, such as memory and intelligence, attention and mental performance, usually suffer in diffuse brain damage, in particular in chronic cerebral ischemia. However, they can also occur in focal brain lesions, such as cerebral infarcts, reaching the degree of dementia. The aim of the study was to investigate the peculiarities of non-dementia cognitive disorders in patients with the consequences of cerebral infarction. We examined 30 patients with chronic cerebral ischemia with cerebral infarction at the age of 58-66 years (M=62.4) and a similar comparison group was chosen. The main results of the cognitive status assessment in patients with CHEM with suffered cerebral infarction showed a decrease in short-term visual and figurative memory, more so in men and with increasing age. There were also decreased productivity of attention, decreased level of abstract thinking, and weakened connection between logical thinking and attention, more pronounced in men and in the older age group. With a disease duration of more than 3 years, the volume of figurative memory and the abstract component of thinking decreased. The main conclusions are: cognitive disorders developing against the background of CIM worsen to a greater extent in men, in persons older than 60 years and in 3 years from the moment of cerebral infarction; short-term medication therapy has no significant effect on cognitive dysfunction, the significance of these results determines the need for long-term, at least 6 months, rehabilitative medication therapy.

The article presents generalized data on the relationship between the types of old-age adaptation and emotional disorders as manifestations of the geriatric syndrome. The manifestations of aggression and depression are also considered. The purpose of the study is to identify a correlation between emotional disorders and types of adaptation to old age. The study involved 50 subjects without mental disorders aged between 60 to 80. Analysis of the data obtained showed that there is a correlation between the types of old-age adaptation and emotional manifestations in older people which can be considered as an important factor in the subjective feeling of an old person’s well-being. Also, aggressive and depressive manifestations are interconnected with destructive styles of social functioning. There is a statistically significant correlation between emotional disturbances and types of old-age adaptation.