Psychotherapeutic interventions in the system of psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with cognitive disorders on the background of COVID-19

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that for most people who have had coronavirus disease, cognitive impairment is one of the most persistent and debilitating consequences, along with anxiety and depressive disorders. The aim of the study was to develop and test a set of psychotherapeutic interventions in the system of psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with cognitive disorders in the setting of COVID-19. To achieve this goal, subject to the signing of informed consent in compliance with the principles of bioethics and deontology, we conducted a comprehensive clinical, psychopathological and psychodiagnostic examination of 75 patients (37 women and 38 men) with cognitive disorders in the setting of COVID-19, both sexes, with an average age of (39.0±3.4) years. According to the results of the study, 56.2% of men and 57.9% of women had mild cognitive disorders and 43.8% and 42.1%, respectively, moderate cognitive disorders, which were manifested by a decrease in verbal, concentration, distraction, and slower information processing speed, difficulty in remembering recent events, difficulty in long-term concentration and slowing down the pace, slight difficulty in orientation, decreased perceptual and diagnostic performance, decreased speed of counting operations, and a pronounced reaction of mental fatigue. According to the results of the study, against the background of the developed complex of psychotherapeutic interventions, 84.8% of the examined men and 86.3% of women showed positive dynamics of psychopathological symptoms, improvement of cognitive status and increased psychosocial adaptation. There was an improvement in overall cognitive performance according to the Addenbrooke's Scale for the Assessment of Cognitive Abilities (79.6% and 81.2% of the subjects, respectively). The data obtained in the course of the study indicate the effectiveness of a complex of psychotherapeutic interventions using cognitive training, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, art therapy and psychoeducation in the system of psychosocial rehabilitation of patients with cognitive disorders in the setting of COVID-19. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 virus, cognition, cognitive abilities.