COGNITIVE COMPLAINT AND TEST-PERFORMANCE IN ELDERLY PATIENTS SUFFERING DEPRESSION OR DEMENTIA

Ten depressed elderly patients were compared with 20 age‐matched normal controls on measures of memory, perceptual organization, and speed of letter cancellation. Only on the letter cancellation task were there significant differences between groups. In contrast, 10 elderly patients with primary degenerative dementia (Alzheimer's type) performed more poorly than 10 age‐matched normal controls on all the cognitive tests employed. Depressed patients rated their level of dysfunction in performing everyday tasks as more severe than the controls; however, the demented patients rated their degree of deficit as significantly less severe than the normal controls. The relationship between patient's subjective ratings of their cognitive difficulties and their results on neuropsychological tests is discussed. The present data suggest that determining subjective complaint may be important when assessing geriatric patients. Copyright © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.