Comparing MMPI Statements and Mental Status Items
DONALD W. MORGAN M.D., D.M.SC.1,
WILLIAM D. WEITZEL M.D.2,
THOMAS E. GUYDEN M.D.2,
JAMES A. ROBINSON 3, , and
JAMES L. HEDLUND PH.D.4
1 Director of Research, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20012
2 Resident in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20012
3 Research Assistant, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20012
4 Professor of Psychology, Missouri Institute of Psychiatry, St. Louis, Mo.
In a direct comparison of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) responses and mental status interview content, MMPI statements were judged to overlap only 40 percent of standard mental status items, with a range of agreement from three to 87 percent when the same 100 psychiatric patients were evaluated with both procedures. Differences in content emphasis between the two procedures are discussed. Although the MMPI and the standard mental status examination complement each other, the authors discourage attempts to substitute one for the other.
