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Letter to the Editor: Comments on ‘Cognitive remediation improves memory and psychosocial functioning in first-episode psychiatric out-patients’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2013

K. STÜRZ*
Affiliation:
Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
V. GÜNTHER
Affiliation:
Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
*
Author for correspondence: Dr K. Stürz, Department of General and Social Psychiatry, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, Austria (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Type
Correspondence
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

The authors (Lee et al. Reference Lee, Redoblado-Hodge, Naismith, Hermens, Porter and Hickie2013) assume that meta-cognitions, such as self-efficacy might explain social and role functioning improvements of the group treated with cognitive remediation.

According to our own data (Trebo et al. Reference Trebo, Holzner, Pircher, Prunnlechner and Günther2007; Stürz et al. Reference Stürz, Hartmann, Eder-Pelzer and Günther2011), computer-assisted cognitive training leads to significant declines in depression scores (compared to control groups) in mildly (Beck Depression Inventory: mean = 17) and moderately (Beck Depression Inventory: mean = 25) depressed patients.

In our two studies mentioned above, we also assessed dysfunctional meta-cognitions as attributional styles and found that they were not significantly altered by computer-assisted cognitive training. Therefore, we propose that the improvement in social functioning scores reported by Lee et al. (Reference Lee, Redoblado-Hodge, Naismith, Hermens, Porter and Hickie2013) might have been mediated by mood stabilization because their sample was mildly depressed according to the reported Hamilton scores. These authors did not present post-treatment HAMD scores.

Declaration of Interest

None.

References

Lee, RS, Redoblado-Hodge, MA, Naismith, SL, Hermens, DF, Porter, MA, Hickie, IB (2013). Cognitive remediation improves memory and psychosocial functioning in first-episode psychiatric out-patients. Psychological Medicine 43, 11611173.Google Scholar
Stürz, K, Hartmann, S, Eder-Pelzer, B, Günther, V (2011). Computer assisted cognitive training advances mood and psychological wellbeing. Neuropsychiatrie 25, 8592.Google Scholar
Trebo, E, Holzner, B, Pircher, M, Prunnlechner, R, Günther, V (2007). The effects of a computer assisted cognitive training on neuropsychological parameters, mood and dysfunctional cognitions in depressive patients. Neuropsychiatrie 21, 207215.Google Scholar