COGNITIVE DISORDER AND DEPRESSION: (An Analysis of the Causal Relationship and Susceptibility to Relapses)

SUMMARY

A prospective study of 45 cases of unipolar depression was conducted with the aim to examine the hypothesis that cognitive disorder predisposes to depression. The data indicated that the absence of the cognitive disorder during remission was statistically significant in 41 cases who remitted. Of the latter, 27 were free from cognitive disorder, while 14 continued with it. This fails to support the causal role of the cognitive disorder. It was also observed that those with persisting cognitive disorder in remission ran the risk of early relapse. It is suggested that persistence of cognitive disorder in remission could be a predictor of early relapse and offers the possibility of using cognitive behavioural therapy for such select cases.

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