A Comparison of Selective Attention Processing in Major Depressive Disorder and Schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective:Cognitive deficits play an important role in differential diagnostics, prognosis and rehabilitation of people with psychological disorders. Attention problems have profound impact on the therapeutic response, risk of relapse, function and quality of life in people with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. This study compared selective attention of people with schizophrenia, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and healthy controls. Methods:The sample consisted of 16 hospitalized schizophrenics, 16 with major depressive disorder, and 16 matched healthy controls. The Stroop color word task was presented to the participants, and the RTs and error rates in naming the color stimuli were recorded. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and multivariate regressions.Results: Those in the MDD group and healthy controls showed the highest and the lowest error rates and RT averages, respectively. In addition, the demographic/personal variables were also used to predict the performance measures. Conclusion:The findings gave support to the notion of morbidity-specific selective attention impairment. The higher levels of interference in the MDD group have been explained in line with the filtration deficit conceptualization.

A 2-year longitudinal study of neuropsychological functioning, psychosocial adjustment and rehospitalisation in schizophrenia and major depression

“…Vulnerability to psychotic experiences conferred a risk for cognitive deficits [23]. Assessment of domain specificity within psychotic disorders, on a backdrop of global impairment, revealed the largest deficit in processing speed in schizophrenia [24] and relatively greater impairment in verbal memory across all groups [20]. There was no evidence for categorical differences between schizophrenia, schizoaffective and affective disorder, however, for a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia having more severe negative symptoms being cognitively more impaired than the rest [26].…”