Author: Ylenia Abril López
"What we see changes what we know. What we know changes what we see." Jean Piaget
In this article, a clinical case extracted from the ICD-10 will be presented, the contributions of cognitive psychology to this case will be explained, as well as a treatment with strategies and techniques to alleviate the symptoms presented and to prevent them in the future.
Our patient is a 55-year-old man, married and father of 3 adult children, a judge by profession and in normal physical health with a little overweight; who comes to the consultation after having been sick with severe flu with a fever around 40º, with severe headaches and fatigue, later mentions that he had difficulties with concentration, thinking and memory; He did not report relevant related history, in the medical examinations the results were normal, however in the mental status tests mild difficulties in memory, learning, concentration and long-lasting thinking were revealed, meeting the necessary criteria for a diagnosis of mild cognitive disorder .
According to the ICD-10, a mild cognitive disorder presents difficulties in memory, learning and concentration, as well as mental fatigue; It can appear before, during or after an infectious process or physical disorder, brain or systemic injury. It is a type of mental disorder that affects cognitive abilities, which are those mental processes that enable the processing of information that translates into knowledge, the performance of tasks and decision making, such as attention, perception, language. or memory, among others.
Cognitive psychology specializes in the study, research and treatment of mental processes, making approximations about how these processes work and, consequently, how the human mind works, thanks to these studies, its progress in the field of neuroscience and advances. In technology, you understand how each of them works and the importance of their work together.
Cognitive rehabilitation is a set of procedures and techniques that aim to improve intellectual performance, family, work and social adaptation in those people who have suffered a failure of cognitive functions.
To treat our patient's mild cognitive disorder, cognitive stimulation workbooks for adults are recommended (you can consult the book here) which contain activities to improve memory, attention, language, perception and executive functions, among others. Others may only need 15 minutes a day and 2 to 3 times a week, and they can also be combined with mental games or cellular games, such as word searches, puzzles or more complex games.
In addition, it is very important to reduce stress levels. In this case, the patient is recommended to delegate responsibilities as much as possible in their job and to begin doing some physical exercise frequently; If possible, start a program of meditation, hobby practice and daily reading.
Likewise, keep control of vascular risk factors and try to eat a Mediterranean diet, that is, increase the consumption of fish and vegetables and reduce the intake of red meat and saturated fats, in addition to having adequate rest, around 8 Daily hours; In this case, taking drugs is not recommended, since they are not considered necessary due to the mildness of the symptoms.
Finally, go to your trusted psychologist to adequately monitor the progress obtained, carrying out mental examinations regularly and to guide you in any doubts that arise or situations that arise in case of worsening of symptoms.
Thanks for your reading.
Psic Ylenia Abril López - Tu espacio mental
Fuentes bibliográficas:
- Olivera, J. y Pelegrín, C. (2015). Prevención y tratamiento del deterioro cognitivo leve. https://www.viguera.com/sepg/pdf/revista/0502/502_0045_0055.pdf
- Organización Panamericana de la Salud (1992). Clasificación Estadística Internacional de Enfermedades y Problemas Relacionados con la Salud CIE-10. Décima Revisión. Volumen 1. http://ais.paho.org/classifications/Chapters/pdf/Volume1.pdf
- Reinoso, A. et al (2008). Cuaderno de ejercicios de estimulación cognitiva. Centro de prevención del deterioro cognitivo. https://fenacerci.pt/web/publicacoes/outras/Cuaderno-de-Estimulacion-cognitiva-nivel-inicial.pdf
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