Short-Term Memory Of Young Patients With Major Depression And Their Self-Rating Of Short-Term Memory

This study investigated the aspects of short-term memory, self-rating of short-term memory and the relationship between the objective memory and subjective memory of young patients with major depression and those of controls. To find out the reason why the patients with major depression complained their poor memory so frequently, The Clinic Memory Tests and another recognition tests with self-rating required before recognizing wereemployed. 30 young patients with major depression responding to F32.0 and F3201 in ICD-10 criteria for research were compared the scores of the Clinic Memory Tests with 49 healthy controls. And 8 patients were compared the scores of recognition and self-rating of memory with 8 healthy controls.Results: l.Patients with major depression recalled fewer words and pictures than the healthy controls while they recognized the same number of words and pictures as the healthy controls did. 2. Patients performed significantly slower than controls on the 3 recognition tests. 3. Patients with major depression rated themselves lower recognition than the controls. The self-ratings of the patients were not significantly correlated to their scores in objective recognition memory tests, while that of the healthy controls were. 4. The frequency distribution of self-ratings of recognition by patients with major depression was like a 'V, with the highest rating in 0% and 100%, while that of the healthy controls was like a 'N'. The distribution of self-rating frequency of the patients keeps a 'V out of familiarity of material to recognize as well as The frequency distribution of self-rating of the controls.Conclusions: 1. It takes Young patients with major depression more time to react in the recognition memory tests than the healthy controls do. 2. Patients with major depression recall fewer words and pictures than the healthy controls do, while they recognize the same number of words as the healthy controls. 3. The healthy controls could predict weather they can recognize the words correctly or not, while the patients with major depression could not. The patients would like to say that they could not recognize the word which they should remember. The controls are likely to say that they could. The complaint of poor memory may be contributed to their incorrectself-ratings of memory. 4. Patients rate their memory more 0% and 100% than the controls do.