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Background: Depression is related to cognitive performance. This follow-up study examines the influence of depression symptoms and psychopharmacological treatment on change in the cognitive performance of patients with depressive episodes over a 2-year period. Sampling and Methods: Sixty-two in- and outpatients with depression of varying severity (ICD-10: F31–F33) were examined in an open prospective naturalistic observational study with 3 points of measurement and tested by use of 3 computerized cognitive performance tests [Visual Attentiveness Test (VAT), Continuous Attention Test (CAT), Word Recognition Test (WRT)], while the psychotropic medication was classified by subclass and dosage. Statistical analysis was performed by random-effects regression models. Results: The raw values of VAT speed, CAT speed and WRT quality improved over time. However, the positive time trend disappeared after the patients’ clinical and personal characteristics were controlled for. The processing speed of the VAT was found to be negatively influenced by depressive symptoms. That of the CAT developed favorably with increasing level of education. The performance qualities of the VAT, WRT and CAT were positively related to the participants’ educational level. The patients who received antipsychotic treatment performed worse on WRT quality than those who were not treated with antipsychotics. Conclusions: The cognitive performance was relatively stable during the treatment process and not affected by clinical characteristics or type of medication. Cognitive deficits in patients with depression could be a trait rather than a state marker.

The value of the reintegration and rehabilitation of inpatients vocationally was studied. Certain of the vocational experiences (unemployment and stressful working conditions) of former psychiatric inpatients were examined, with attention being paid to their stabilizing or destabilizing effect on symptomatic behaviour. A cohort of 230 first-time admissions for treatment of various disorders were interviewed while hospitalized and 1 year later. A 20-item list prepared by INFAS was used for indexing stressful working conditions. Psychopathological states were assessed with the help of the Present State Examination of Wing et al. (1973). The results indicate that mentally ill persons (especially those with organic or affective disorders), when confronted with unemployment after discharge from hospital, will usually respond by developing new or worse syndromes. Stressful working conditions appear to have very different effects in schizophrenia and affective disorders, viz. deterioration and amelioration of psychopathological syndromes respectively.

On the one hand, physical activity has positive effects on all elements of MTS, especially insulin resistance, on the other hand, mild antidepressant effects of physical activity have been demonstrated. The results of animal experiments refer to the essential relevance of physical activity concerning "brain health", specifically with respect to hippocampal neuroplasticity.