No: 26 / INVESTIGATION OF THE BEHAVIORAL VARIANT OF FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMANTIA USING PROJECTIVE TESTS

  • INVESTIGATION OF THE BEHAVIORAL VARIANT OF FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMANTIA USING PROJECTIVE TESTS

    Erkan Kalem
    Summary :

    The present study investigates the behavioral variant of the frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) using projective tests. In the related literature it is seen that there was no study investigating the bvFTD with projective tests. The bvFTD patients who were diagnosed to be at the early stage of the illness were accepted for the study. The patients were taken from the Neurology Department of Istanbul University Medical Faculty. With a psychoanalytic point of view, the Rorschach, TAT and Early Recollections Form are used in the assessment of bvFTD patients. In this study only a segment of the received data is analysed using a qualitative approach. The data received from Rorschach Card 4, TAT Card 3BM and 13MF, and Early Recollections Form are analysed qualitatively. The internal self and parental other representations are depicted using the positive/good and negative/bad axis as the organizing perspective. The research hypothesis was that the patients would show more disorganized internal representations due to the effects of the death drive which makes its effects via attacks on linking. Findings revealed that the patients had more negative/bad internal o and parental other representations, which supported the research hypothesis. This result can be interpreted within the context of the "holding" function of Winnicott and "containment" function of Bion; a biologically based neurodegenerative process due to the effect of the death instinct has its psychological correlate which includes the destruction of the holding and containing structures within ones internal world of self and other representations. These findings can be more comprehensively supported with the results of the other findings of the research.

    Keywords : Behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia, psychoanalytic object relations theory, Rorschach , Thematic Apperception Test, Early Recollections Form