No: 39 / INVESTIGATION OF THE BEHAVIORAL VARIANT OF THE FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMANTIA USING THE RORSCHACH TEST

  • INVESTIGATION OF THE BEHAVIORAL VARIANT OF THE FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMANTIA USING THE RORSCHACH TEST

    Erkan Kalem
    Summary :

    The purpose of the present study was to investigate the early phase bvFTD (Frontotemporal Demantia ? Behavioral Variant) using the Rorschach Test. In line with this purpose, a pre-dementia patient group, eMCI (Executive Mild Cognitive Impairment), was also included in the study as a control group. To compare and contrast both patient groups a normal control group is also used. Patients are recruited with voluntary acceptance principle from among the patients applied to the clinics of the Behavioral Neurology Department of the İstanbul University Medical Faculty. The patients are evaluated using the Rorschach Test. The collected data are analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The main hypothesis of the study was that in parellel to the neurodegenerative destructive proseses, in the psychic realm, under the effects of the death drive and the work of the negative, the mentalization processes would be hampered seriously, and as a result the patients would experience operational thought, essential depression and alexitimia, which would manifest themselves in thought disorders and in the experiences of emptiness loss, and mourning process. The data analysis has confirmed the main hypothesis for both of the patient groups. There was no significant difference between the groups. The results showed that parallel to the neurodegenerative destructive process a very serious destructive process commences in the psychic world of the patients.

    Keywords : Frontotemporal Demantia-Behavioral Variant, Executive Mild Cognitive Impairment, Rorschach Test, Death Drive, Thought Disorder.