title: Memory performance of patients with major depression in an everyday life situation.
abstract: Although patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) report severe memory impairment in their everyday life, memory tests indicate only moderate deficits. In order to clarify these conflicting observations, the present study aimed at the investigation of MDD patients' memory performance in a real everyday life situation. The study included 20 MDD patients and 20 healthy control subjects. Nonverbal memory was assessed by means of the Rey Complex Figure Test whereas verbal memory was assessed by the recall of a 20-item wordlist with supermarket products. For the assessment of everyday life memory, subjects had to purchase as many products as possible of the 20-item wordlist in a real supermarket. Furthermore, subjects were asked for memory complaints. MDD patients' performance in the supermarket resembled memory test results and was not significantly impaired. MDD patients' self-reports, however, indicated severe memory problems that clearly fell below their performance in the supermarket. This study helped to identify everyday life-related factors that do not impair MDD patients' cognitive performance beyond their performance in standard laboratory testing situations. These factors may not be relevant for remediation programs that are specifically developed for depressed patients.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Remterweg 69-71, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany. Electronic address: thomas.beblo@evkb.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beblo
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Internal and Geriatric Medicine, Schildescher Str. 99, 33611 Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Leona
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kater
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Remterweg 69-71, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baetge
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Remterweg 69-71, 33617 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Driessen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 50, 58448 Witten, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piefke
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Cognition; Ecological validity; Learning; Neuropsychology; Wordlist