Evaluation of metacognitive functions in major depressive and panic depressive disorder patients

The aim of the present study was to evaluate metacognitive functions and clinical features of patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Panic Disorder (PD) diagnosis via comparing them to control group. Fifty patients with diagnosis of MDD and fifty patients with diagnosis of PD who were applied to Fırat University Hospital, Mental Health and Disorders Policlinic and evaluated there, and who met the study criteria were included in the study along with 50 age- and gender-matched healthy people as control who had no current or previous psyciatric and neurological disorders. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Form were applied to both patient and control groups while Metacognitive-30 Scale (MCQ), Beck Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Scale were applied to MDD patient group, and Panic Agorafobia Scale and The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scales were applied to PD patient group only. Total MCQ scores of MDD and PD patients were significantly higher than that of control group. Positive beliefs about worry, negative beliefs about worry concerning uncontrollability and danger dimensions of metacognition were higher in MDD patients while negative beliefs about worry concerning uncontrollability and danger and cognitive confidence dimensions were higher in PD patients. In addition, positive correlations were found between Beck Depression Scale score and positive beliefs about worry dimension in MDD patients, and between STAI-II scores and cognitive self-consciousness dimension in PD patients. The results of the present study revealed differences in terms of Metacognitive-30 Scale parameters between MDD and PD patient groups and control group. Further studies are needed to illuminate the causality relationship between these differences and MDD and PD diseases. Key Words: Major depressive disorder, panic disorder, metacognition.