362 patients with cognitive impairment in depressive disorders were examined: 123 patients with recurrent depressive disorder (RDD), 141 patients with bipolar affective disorder (BAD) and 98 patients with prolonged depressive reaction (PDR). A set of research methods was used: clinical-psychopathological, psychodiagnostic (Munsterberg test) and statistical. The features of the perception process were established for various types of depressive disorders: in patients with RDD, there was a predominance of average, increased and decreased selectivity of attention to neutral stimulus (30.89 %, 21.95 % and 21.95 %, respectively), high selectivity of attention to negative stimulus (33.33 %) and decreased and low selectivity of attention to positive stimulus (54.47 % and 20.33 %, respectively); in patients with BAD, a predominance of average and reduced selectivity of attention to neutral stimulus (45.39 % and 36.17 %, respectively) and average selectivity of attention to negative and positive stimulus (38.30 % and 38.30 %, respectively) were recorded; in patients with PDR, the prevalence of average and reduced selectivity of attention to neutral stimulus (42.86 % and 34.69 %, respectively), increased and decreased selectivity of attention to negative stimulus (29.59 % and 16.33 %, respectively), increased selectivity of attention to positive stimulus (43.88 %).