Paranoid Schizophrenia versus Schizoaffective Disorder: Neuropsychological Aspects.

Introduction: Neuropsychological aspects of paranoid schizophrenia have still not been examined enough.These disorders are usually not studied separately, but are included in the studies about schizophrenic patients with positive symptoms. Despite the fact that schizophrenia represents a heterogeneous group of mental disorders, usually it is not separated from schizoaffective disorder in neuropsychological researches.

Neuropsychological assessment: computerized batteries or standard tests.

In clinical neuropsychology a huge number of neuropsychological tests have been developed, and the corpus of these instruments is always increasing. Because of this, the question has been raised as to which are the most usefull instruments that provide the best neuropsychological profiles of the subjects. In the actual literature, there are polemics about the advantages and disadvantages of computerized neuropsychological batteries versus standard paper and pencil tests.

Attribution style of patients with depression.

Introduction: The role of attribution in psychopathology has been investigated most systematically within the depression context. The presumption which makes people depressive consists, to an excessive degree, of internal, stable and global attributions to negative occurrences. Negative attributions for unpleasant events are associated with the loss of self-respect which follows.

Neuropsychological profile of delusional disorder.

Background: Previous studies concerned with neuropsychological aspect of delusions, were mainly focused on specific forms of this disorder, such as Cotard or Capgras type of delusions. Comparatively small numbers of investigations were concerned with cognitive deficiencies accompanying the delusions. The substance of this study includes the detection of neuropsychological dysfunctions in patients with delusional disorder, and tracing of these cognitive distortions to appropriate brain regions.

[Demographic and audiological factors as predictors of hearing handicap].

Introduction: Currently available evidence reveals comparatively few studies of psychological effects of hearing impairments, in spite of the fact that clinicians have for a long time been aware of a connection between the acquired hearing impairment and mental disorders. They are focused on the investigation of dysfunction in general. Thus, three domains of the auditory imbalance may be distinguished: disorder, disability and handicap.

[Attribution style of patients with delusion disorder].

Introduction: Attribution style represents a tendency to explain events by our own actions, or actions of forces and causes, persons or surroundings, which are external.

Objective: The objective of our study was the analysis of specific way in which patients with delusion disorders ascribe meanings to events.

Method: The test group included 30 patients with delusional disorder, of both sexes, aged between 30 and 53, without serious organic or somatic disorders.

Psychosocial aspects of acquired hearing impairment in the patients with otosclerosis.

Unlabelled: Currently available evidence reveals comparatively few studies of the psychological and social effects of acquired hearing impairment, in spite of the fact that clinicians have for a long time been aware of a connection between acquired hearing impairment and mental disorders. The existing data indicate that psychological disorders are significantly more frequent in a population with hearing impairment than in the average population and are accompanied by disharmony in interpersonal and social relations.

Aim: Establishing the presence and the type of mental disorders in patients with hearing impairment due to otosclerosis, before and 6 months after corrective surgery, as well as finding the role of adaptation style (personal adjustment) and facing strategy (communication strategies) as mediating variables between the acquired hearing impairment and observed psychical changes.