Individuals With Major Depressive Disorder May Have Persistent Cognitive Deficits Even In Remission

People diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) who achieve remission may have persistent cognitive impairment, according to a meta-analysis. Compared to healthy people, those with treatment resistant depression and older adults with MDD had moderate cognitive deficits. Cognitive deficits occurred in the domains of executive function, memory, and attention, but reaction time was not affected. Because the likelihood of ongoing cognitive impairment is high, treatment for depression should alleviate symptoms and remediate any cognitive impairments.

These findings were reported in “Neuropsychological Assessments of Cognitive Impairment in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Meta-Regression” by . . .