Search

The use of telecommunication technologies in the field of psychology is increasingly widespread. This paper is intended to discuss the authors' perspectives and experiences as current and former telepsychology trainees (ranging from current students to 3 years post-graduate) at a graduate telepsychology clinic in a rural setting. Telepsychology trainees delivered individual and group treatments via videoconference and telephone to clients living in a predominantly rural and historically underserved region of Texas, and they also conducted telepsychology-related research during and after their clinical training. This experience helped trainees understand their clients' perspectives of telepsychology in an experiential way and was viewed by many trainees as useful for enriching their empathy for telepsychology clients. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the structure of Wechsler Memory Scale. The intention of the present study was to cross-validate the basic findings of the previous study in an independent sample of patients. This would provide information about the stability of the factors across samples. High stability is very important if the factor scores that can be derived from the earlier paper are to have any practical usefulness in the clinical setting. In the present investigation the data from the replication sample were subjected to a number of principal factor analyses and the significant factors from each of the analyses were rotated to oblique simple structure by the direct oblimin method.

This special series of articles on the Consensus Conference and Combined-Integrated (C-I) model of doctoral training in professional psychology consists of 13 articles in two successive volumes of the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Six articles are presented in Part 1 (Vol. 60, Issue 9), which collectively describe the “nature and scope” of the C-I model (e.g., historic and definitional issues; the potential advantages of this model; implications for the profession). In Part 2 of this special series (Vol. 60, Issue 10), articles 7 through 12 address the broader implications and potential applications of the C-I model within a range of professional and societal contexts (e.g., for interprofessional collaboration; the health care field; development of a global curriculum; the unified psychology movement; issues of assessment and professional identity; and higher education); article 13 provides a summary of the series as well as a discussion of future directions. As an overview, this paper provides the abstract for each of the articles in Part 1, and describes the various topics of the articles in Part 2. Taken together, the articles in this special series are designed to provide a coherent account of how and why the C-I model is timely and relevant, and therefore warrants serious consideration by the larger education and training community in professional psychology. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about children's spontaneous object elaborations on a visual-motor test. Observations of spontaneous object elaborations in children taking a visuals motor test have been presented. Under the test conditions specified, retarded children drew recognizable objects such as human figures, numbers and letters which appeared to be functionally unrelated to the test stimuli. Past descriptions of such types of primitivizations have characteristically emphasized their relatedneas to test stimuli.

The article discusses the validity of clinical judgments of schizophrenic pathology-based on verbal responses to intelligence test items. The reliability of clinical judgment has been the subject of a series of studies using single responses to intelligence test items obtained from psychiatric patients and judgments by trained clinicians based on a seven-point rating scale. It has been possible to demonstrate reliability in judgments of disorganization in schizophrenic thinking, as well as more specific aspects of schizophrenic thinking. The question now arises whether clinicians can make global appraisals of complete test protocols with as great reliability as they can judge single test items. This paper extends the study of reliability, defined as interjudge agreement, to global judgments in which whole protocols are ranked according to severity of schizophrenic pathology.

The article reports on psychological research in the community mental health service in the United States. The need is obvious for the development of public health practices which will control the causes of mental ill health as effectively as is now done with many other diseases. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the opportunities and the methodological problems for the psychologist doing research in the field of community mental hygiene. Research on community mental hygiene, it seems to the author, can best be attacked by studying those factors in total community life which prevent or promote the development of healthy patterns of adjustment by individuals or groups. Stating this a little differently, research in community mental hygiene might best be concerned with the nature and the origin of conflicts, frustrations, or confusions for persons or groups which are part of the community way of life.

The article informs that clinical psychologists are so well aware of the place they have won in mental hospitals that it may be a source of either surprise or scorn to learn that some mental hospitals are still unprovided with such service. No propaganda is needed except that where a hospital lacks such service one may well point out to its director or governing board that other mental hospitals not far away think very highly of psychological service. In contrast with the isolationist attitudes discussed above are powerful movements tending to work for greater cooperation and integration of all scientific specialties. Particularly in modern medicine are there active trends toward inter-group coordination.

The article reports on a self-directed approach to the treatment of a complex neurosis with implosive therapy (IT). It demonstrates or investigates the effectiveness of IT in the treatment of psychological disorders typically have dealt with relatively simple, identifiable fears. This paper describes the self-directed treatment of a "complex" and debilitating neurosis, in which identification of the conditioned stimuli was based upon dynamic inferences. The results of the study support the use of dynamic formulations to develop a behaviorally oriented treatment program.

Research based on Seligman's model indicates that a pessimistic explanatory style predicts increased frequency of depression, poorer physical health, and lower levels of achievement. The data show that persons who have a pessimistic outlook on life are more frequent users of the medical and mental health care delivery systems. This paper describes the development of a bipolar MMPI Optimism-Pessimism (PSM)scale that is based on the results of a technique-Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanation (CAVE)— applied to the MMPI. Reliability and validity indices show that the PSM scale is highly accurate and consistent with Seligman's theory. Identification of the patient's explanatory style may lead to improved management because intervention measures can be directed more accurately according to the patient's personality style. The new scale also will allow researchers to use existing MMPI data to explore relationships between explanatory style and various Outcome variables and behavioral correlates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a computer-assisted diagnostic program for intake assessment used by clinicians. One such approach has been to use technicians supported by computer technology to improve the productivity of mental health service delivery agencies. Use of the on-line computer-assisted system and interpreting patient assessment data by technician level enough to use this information in the intake process. As each test is completed, the computer analyzes the responses and prints a narrative report.

The article demonstrates how psychological instruments can be utilized in the understanding and study of organizational processes in the mental hospital. The instruments consist of two attitudinal or ideology scales and a measure of role-conception. The attitude scales are the Custodial Mental Illness Ideology Scale (CMI) and the Opinions About Mental Illness questionnaire (OMI). The following four occupational groups were administered the three instruments: the New Psychiatric Aides, Older Aides, Business Maintenance, Clinical Group.

The article discusses on research on the selection of clinical psychologists. High among the accomplishments of applied psychology has been the marked improvement in techniques for the selection of personnel. Future psychologists were selected in scores of widely separated departments, many of which had no desire to coordinate or standardize their practices with respect to selection or training. On the basis of this broad outline, the staff of the Department of Psychology of the University of Michigan developed a more detailed design for a pilot study which was carried out during the week of September 10-18, 1946.

As a pioneer of training in the field of psychology, the Veterans Affairs (VA) HealthCare System serves as a leader in the training in and provision of Telemental Health (TMH) services in the United States. To meet goals toward continued expansion of these services, the VA TMH training program includes both web‐based didactic courses and a skills competency test at a basic level with supervision and consultation in TMH for more advanced training and is available to staff psychologists and psychologist trainees. Despite these efforts, barriers for training in and implementation of TMH occur at the provider, system, and patient level. At the national level, the VA is actively working to resolve these barriers and we share site‐specific examples implemented by the VA Puget Sound Health Care System promoting access through TMH team to further address barriers to training and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article cites a study that aims to investigate whether a relationship exists between psychiatric patients' hospital adjustment and their attitudes toward hospitals, to observe patients' feelings about mental hospitals, and to see whether a difference exists in attitude scores of patients on different wards. The Hospital Adjustment Scale provides an estimate of hospital adjustment for use with adult patients of either sex hospitalized in any type of psychiatric institution. The Southern Attitude Scale is a Thurstone-type attitude scale consisting of 72 statements about mental hospitals with which the subject either agrees or disagrees.

This article presents discussion related to psychoses. The reader should be reminded that the system was developed on inpatients in public mental health facilities and therefore should work most effectively with such patients. The correlates also may be applicable to outpatients from such facilities, especially if they have become outpatients after having been inpatients, which frequently is the case, or readers familiar with computerized printouts of MMPI interpretations or with skillful clinical interpretations, the interpretive summaries given in this paper may be disappointing on several grounds: Prognostic statements are not included, the reports often are brief, the language in which the reports are cast lacks elegance, scales L, F, and K are not interpreted in terms of validity, and dynamic explanations of behavior are not attempted.

Objective Despite the recognized importance of integrated behavioral health, particularly in safety net primary care, its effectiveness in real world settings has not been extensively evaluated. This article presents 2 successive studies examining the effectiveness of integrated behavioral care in a safety net setting. Method Study 1 compared the depression and anxiety scores of predominately low-income and minority patients who underwent brief interventions (N = 147) to those of patients from a demographically similar comparison clinic without integrated psychological services, matched on baseline levels of anxiety and depression and length of time between assessments (N = 139). Study 2 did not include a control group but served as a long-term follow-up assessment of anxiety and depression for a subset of 47 patients who finished treatment and could be reached by telephone within 6-18 months of their last session. Results Study 1 found that patients from the clinic with integrated psychology services experienced greater decreases in depression and anxiety scores than patients in the control clinic. These effects did not differ as a function of age, gender, or race. Study 2 found that patients continued to decline in depression and anxiety over time, with lower scores at the last session and even lower scores after longer-term follow-up ranging from 6 to18 months. These improvements remained significant when controlling for other interim mental health treatments. Conclusion These results support the short- and long-term treatment effects of brief primary care behavioral interventions, further strengthening the case for integrated behavioral healthcare in safety net settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental illness is a prevalent and extraordinarily complex phenomenon. Psychologists have developed distinct approaches toward understanding and treating mental illness, rooted in divergent epistemology. This introduction to the Special Issue on Clinical Psychological Science and Practice provides a brief overview of the scientist-practitioner gap, and explores one step (of many) toward bridging this divide. Seven compelling case illustrations featured in this Special Issue apply empirical findings to case formulation, treatment selection, and assessment across complex and varied clinical presentations. This issue thereby demonstrates the feasibility of integrating research and clinical expertise in mental healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to improve both short- and long-term outcomes in both uncomplicated and comorbid insomnia patients has been repeatedly and conclusively demonstrated. Further demonstrations of efficacy, per se, in additional comorbid insomnia populations are likely not the best use of limited energy and resources. Rather, we propose that future CBT-I research would be better focused on three key areas: (a) increasing treatment efficacy, particularly for more clinically relevant outcomes; (b) increasing treatment effectiveness and potential for translation into the community, with a particular focus on variants of CBT-I and alternative delivery modalities within primary healthcare systems; and (c) increasing CBT-I practitioner training and dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses and illustrates the use of mentalization-based psychodynamic psychotherapy for disturbances of awareness of the self and others in patients with psychotic-spectrum disorders. The literature on impairments of mental processes involved in self-awareness and awareness of others occurring in psychotic illnesses and the relationship between childhood trauma and the emergence of psychotic symptoms is reviewed. A case illustrates how mentalization-based treatment can facilitate treatment engagement and be used to manage enactments in the psychotherapy with a patient with a psychotic disorder. Mentalization-based psychotherapy may offer a useful adjunct to antipsychotic medication and psychosocial evidence-based treatments in the care of individuals in the early phase of psychotic disorders. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 65:1–12, 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provision of effective and timely behavioral health care for veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan has become the focus of national attention. In this special issue, attempts to provide psychological care for service members and their families are examined in light of three key constructs. First, it is contended that at no other time in history has more attention been paid to the psychological consequences of engaging in combat. Second, for the first time in recorded warfare, psychological morbidity is likely to far outstrip physical injury associated with combat. Finally, although posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury are serious concerns, most service members return without significant physical or psychological injury and will be able to return to functioning without notable problems. Accurate diagnosis, a focus on resilience, and the expectation of readjustment are essential precepts that should guide clinical efforts and resource allocation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 64:1–7, 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-implemented informed consent procedures demonstrate psychotherapists' respect for clients' right to self-determination and can initiate meaningful contributions to treatment through enhancing mutual trust, building rapport, and facilitating a sense of ownership. This article details key components of informed consent to psychotherapy by placing them within real-world psychotherapy scenarios. We provide information on client–therapist discussions of the nature and course of therapy, fees and payment policies, the involvement of third parties, confidentiality policies, and new and untested treatments. In addition, this article addresses informed consent procedures for individuals with impaired cognitive capacities and under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) regulations. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol:In Session 64: 1–13, 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author discusses the implications of evidence-based practice (EBP) for research and research training in clinical psychology. It is argued that EBP provides a useful framework for addressing some heretofore ignored problems in clinical research. Advancing evidence-based psychological practice will require educators to inject significant new content into research, design, and methodology courses and to further integrate research and practicum training. The author believes this to be an exciting opportunity for the field, not only because it will further psychologists' integration into the interdisciplinary health care and research environment, but also because it will provide new tools to educate students for capable, not just competent professional activity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 685–694, 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the vast proliferation of scientific research in the behavioral and social sciences, there is a growing need for psychologists to be able to access the most current, clinically relevant research quickly and efficiently and integrate this information into patient care. In response to a similar need within the field of medicine, evidence-based medicine took hold in the early 1990s to provide both a framework and set of skills for translating research into practice. Since then, this method has been adopted by every major health care profession including psychology, and is now widely known as evidence-based practice (EBP). In this article, the authors present a general overview of the skills required for EBP along with an introduction to some of the tools and resources that have been developed in other health care professions to support EBP. Using a case example, we illustrate how these tools and resources can be applied in psychological settings. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 633–642, 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A movement advocating the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) is increasingly influencing health care and the practice of psychology. Thus, teaching evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP) is critical to the preparation of future health service psychologists. In this article, the authors address common myths associated with EBP, propose core components involved in teaching EBPP, and describe an example of how such training can be incorporated into a professional psychology education and training curriculum. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 657–670, 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health and behavior current procedural terminology (CPT) codes introduced in 2003 have gained nationwide acceptance through Medicare and limited acceptance through third party payers. The codes facilitate accurate description and quantification of behavioral medicine services within a primary care or specialty clinic setting. The author reviews their appropriate utilization to enhance reimbursement and facilitate development of self-sustaining behavioral medicine programs. Information is provided on increased use and reimbursement of codes within psychology. Future directions for continued advocacy, increased acceptance, training, and research are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 1221–1229, 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following publication of several landmark policy documents beginning in 1999, there are unprecedented opportunities for reforming mental health care to meet the needs of persons with mental illness. In this article, the authors suggest that transforming mental health requires dramatic changes in theory as well as in policy and practice, offering action theory as a corrective for a clinical psychology that has yet to view people as active agents shaping their own lives. A participatory approach to policy development and adoption of an action-oriented model of clinical practice provide examples of the shift, which results from treating people to enhancing their access to opportunities and offering them the in vivo supports they need to pursue meaningful lives even while disabled. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 1141–1155, 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco dependence is a serious public health concern. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a practice guideline of best practices to encourage all health care providers to intervene with tobacco-dependent individuals they encounter. Psychologists may be ideally suited to implement brief tobacco interventions due to their expertise in behavior change strategies and interpersonal counseling skills. This study sought to investigate current tobacco assessment and intervention practices and perceptions of responsibility for tobacco intervention among a regional sample of licensed, practicing psychologists. Results suggest that a majority of psychologists fall far short of the ideal best practices recommended in the practice guideline, and many are unaware of the availability of the guidelines. Further, psychologists in this study perceived tobacco intervention to be a greater responsibility of physicians and other health care providers than of psychologists and other mental health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than 40 years researchers have studied the members of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division of Clinical Psychology to obtain information about their demographic characteristics, educational experiences, theoretical orientations, employment settings, professional activities, publication histories, and career satisfactions. We summarize the results from the most recent study (N = 694, 46% return rate) in the historical context of the previous findings, dating back to 1960. We provide both contemporary and historical portraits of American clinical psychology. Among the most notable trends are a steady increase in female psychologists, a decline in psychological assessment in general and projective testing in particular, the modal eclectic/integrative orientation being rivaled by the cognitive orientation, a pattern of high career satisfaction, and continued enthusiasm for the Boulder model. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 61: 1467–1483, 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the empirical demonstration of the clinical efficacy of psychosocial treatments has been rekindled by societal concerns over accountability and cost effectiveness of mental health services. The result has been the identification of specific treatments for specific disorders. The prescription of treatment content should be based on the theory of therapeutic action and/or the disorder to which it is applied. The demonstration of specific treatment efficacy requires experimental evidence showing the influence of specific procedures beyond nonspecific factors of treatment. We provide an analysis of these factors and their effects in evaluating the specific efficacy of prescriptive psychosocial treatments. Experimental procedures and designs that test the validity of specific treatments are described and applied to cognitive-behavioral treatments of generalized anxiety disorder. The empirical and professional implications of specific treatment efficacy in evidence-based practice are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 61: 819–834, 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychology has failed to reach its full potential as either a science or a profession. The inability of psychologists to generate a shared, general understanding of their subject matter and fundamental differences between scientific and nonscientific views of human behavior in society at large interact to render psychology's contributions to the world's most pressing problems much less potent than might otherwise be the case. The Tree of Knowledge (ToK) System affords new opportunities both to define the discipline of psychology and to examine the epistemological interrelations between the institution of science and other societal institutions, such as law, governance, health care, the arts, and religion. In this article I articulate how the foundation can be laid for the development of a useful mass movement that could transform the discipline of psychology in a manner that unleashes its constructive potential, while at the same time it attempts to address many of the concerns about the proposal raised by the contributors to these two special issues. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The profession of psychology is being impacted profoundly by broader changes within the national system of health care, as mental and behavioral health services are being recognized as essential components of a comprehensive, preventive, and cost-efficient primary care system. To fully define and embrace this role, the discipline of professional psychology must develop a shared disciplinary identity of health service psychology and a generalized competency-based model for doctoral education and training. This very framework has been adopted by Combined-Integrated (C-I) doctoral programs in professional psychology, which train across the practice areas (clinical, counseling, and school psychology) to provide a general and integrative foundation for their students. Because C-I programs produce general practitioners who are competent to function within a variety of health service settings, this innovative training approach has great potential to educate and train psychologists for a changing health care marketplace. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence concerning a preference for ethnic matching in the therapist-patient dyad and the effects of ethnic matching on treatment satisfaction is equivocal. This study examined the importance of ethnic similarity in mental-health care in the Netherlands. A convenience sample of 82 Turkish and 58 Moroccan outpatients in the community mental-health care was interviewed. Quantified data were analyzed using multivariate techniques. The majority of the respondents did not value ethnic matching as important; clinical competence and compassion were considered to be more relevant than ethnic background. An ethnically dissimilar therapist treated the majority of the outpatients. Outpatients treated by a native Dutch therapist reported similar satisfaction with the services provided as those treated by an ethnically similar therapist. According to Turkish and Moroccan outpatients in Dutch mental-health care, ethnic matching is not considered to be preferential nor essential for treatment satisfaction. Other health-care characteristics such as empathy, expertise, and sharing of worldview are considered to be as important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting the demands of chronic illness and disease states is challenging, at best. Too often, the chronicity of the illness hastens death. The physical, psychological, and sociological changes that accompany the death of an individual require attention and forethought if the life transition is to be made with elegance and grace. This article addresses the caregiving demands for the professional and familial/social support surrounding the chronically ill individual at the end of life. Focus is placed on the preparation of advance directives -- legal documents that set clear boundaries for honoring the wishes of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the use of empirical evidence in treatment selection of patients by practitioners. Identification of common and differential principles of change; Evidence supporting the value of learning exhaustive lists of procedures; Difficulty in justifying the expenditure of energy required to learn procedures.

Presents an indepth look at a study which deals with the diagnosis and treatment considerations with comorbid developmentally disabled populations. Detailed information on comorbidity; Information on differential diagnosis priotizing of persons withmental retardation; Disorders associated with mental retardation; Reason dual diagnosis is important.

The article presents information on clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia. The article incorporates Landmark's manual in a comparison of social and anamnestic variables for patients diagnosed as schizophrenic by fewer and patients so diagnosed by more of the 13 systems. More specifically, the study will examine a continuum that ranges from patients diagnosed by all 13 systems to those diagnosed by only 1 system, in relationship to anamnestic and socioeconomic variables. The continuum was expected on the basis of disagreements found among different diagnostic systems. The extremes of this continuum will be described by means of their social and anamnestic correlates.

The article addresses the psychiatric patient's dropout of treatment problem by, first, directly asking clients their reasons for dropping out; and second, assessing pretherapy to follow-up symptom change in clients grouped by dropout reason. For this purpose, forty-six dropouts who had been administered the Brief Symptom Inventory at intake were contacted 3 months later. In the beginning, they were asked their reasons for dropping out and readministered the Brief Symptom Inventory. The study shows that 39% quit due to "no need for services," 35% due to "environmental constraints," and 26% due to "dislike of services." It also reports that "no need for services" and "environmental constraints" groups had significant decreases in intake to follow-up Brief Symptom Inventory scores. It has been concluded that dropouts were a heterogeneous group whose follow-up adjustment was related to termination reason. This view contradicts prevailing notions that consider all dropouts as treatment failures.

The article discusses locus of control and depression in students and psychiatric outpatients. Relationship was examined among depression, locus of control of reinforcement, and age in 26 depressed, female psychiatric outpatients, 26 nondepressed controls, and 55 undergraduate students (23 male, 32 female), of whom 18 were depressed. The mean age of the patients and controls was 40.2, and of the students 19.7. Depression (measured on the Beck Depression Inventory) and locus of control (measured on Rotter's Internal-External questionnaire) were correlated highly. Age was correlated negatively with locus of control scores and positively with depression. With age partialled out, the correlation between external locus of control and depression increased.

The article reports on patient preferences with regard to ideal therapist characteristics. As health care professionals become more attuned to such aspects of accountability as patient satisfaction with health care services, knowledge of what patients in general want and expect from psychotherapists assumes further practical significance of relevance to all who are or may be involved with psychotherapeutic activity. This study surveyed a group of patients who were receiving outpatient psychotherapeutic services to determine whether these patients shared a common view.

The article reports on therapist content relevance and patient affect in treatment. The role of the psychotherapeutic relationship in providing the context for planned interventions and therapeutic influence has been recognized increasingly and has been coupled with calls for systematic study of its active and manipulable ingredients. Much of the concern with the therapeutic relationship centered around the issues of preventing patients' premature discontinuance and enhancing their positive affective experiences in and satisfaction with the treatment process.

The article presents an exploratory study that is focused on the relationship between personality and psychopathology. The sample consisted of 389 male veterans who were seeking either psychiatric care or employment-related evaluations at the Mental Health Treatment Service of the Salt Lake City VA Hospital. Three types of measures were used in this study: a structured mental status interview and related diagnostic algorithm, several scales for measurement of personality, and the psychopathological scales from the MMPI.

The article evaluates the Recruit Temperament Survey (RTS) as a predictor of psychiatric illness among enlistees designated to work in health care jobs. More specifically, this article identifies those characteristics assessed by the RTS that differentiate significantly between Hospital Corpsman (HMs) who become psychiatric casualties and those who do not; and determines the validity of these characteristics, taken together, for predicting psychiatric illness among HMs. Overall, the results of this study have suggested that non-cognitive measures such as the RTS are potentially useful in the psychiatric screening of candidates for Navy paramedical jobs.

This article discusses impression management. With today's emphasis on accountability, empirical evaluation, and cost-benefit analysis, researchers and managers have been searching for criteria with which to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of their service and institutions. In medicine, criteria have included hospital admission, admission rates, readmission rates and length of stay. While psychiatric patients indeed can present themselves in a fashion designed to achieve these goals, there is less information as to patients' ability to engage in impression management in order to gain hospitalization.

This article focuses on the case of an outpatient psychiatric service. In 1956, the senior author compared three methods to describe the caseload of an outpatient psychiatric service. This comparison has been repeated some 19 years later in the same clinic. In the follow-up method of the closed cases, 51% showed improvement in 1956, as compared to only 43% in 1975. The improvement rate dropped somewhat for all diagnoses in 1975 in the follow-up method for cases closed or inactive, but for the 35% of the cases that were still in treatment, 68% showed some improvement.

This article focuses on several Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profiles from adolescent medical patients. The MMPI profiles included in this study were taken from the sample of 50,000 medical outpatients at the Mayo Clinic. Patients who were seen at the Mayo Clinic primarily for psychiatric evaluation and treatment were excluded from the group. Inspection suggests that medical patients obtain higher scores on the neurotic triad, whereas their scores on the remaining clinical scales are similar to those of the other samples.

This article focuses on the training of professionals. The increased demand over the past decade for personnel in medical and allied health professions has inspired the development of innovative instructional methods that have sought to make optimal use of faculty man power and time. Various programs have been developed to enhance the instruction of medical students in their psychiatric education. Such approaches have focused on increased acquisition of cognitive information and the attainment of clinical skills.

This article focuses on the Halstead-Reitan ( H-R) neuropsychological battery. Often research studies in this area appear to provide more confusion than light on the subject of neuropsychological testing. Although, of course, a single case cannot prove a point, nevertheless in such a situation a particularly clear case study may provide both information required to help solve the controversy and a point of departure for a clarification of the issues involved. Bender-Gestalt(B-G) has been considered an adequate measure of many clinicians. However, the use of both the B-G and the B-G that the B-G has grave limitations even though as a quick screening test it is quite the valuable.

The article reports on the diagnosis of schizophrenia. While it appears highly probable that the diagnosis "schizophrenia" actually covers a number of different entities, some of which in fact may be medical problems of metabolism or neurology, it also appears probable that in many cases these are behavioral rather than medical problems. It also seems possible that some of the biochemical problems that are being studied may represent a reaction, for example, to a high anxiety level and thus be considered psychosomatic rather than purely physiological.

The article investigates the possibility of irreversible central nervous system damage as a result of long-term chlorpromazine medication. Chlorpromazine has been one of the most widely used tranquilizers in mental hospitals for over two decades. Patients who currently are receiving the drug have been found to manifest deficits behaviorally and on psychometric tests. According to researchers this drug affects the mental state of a patient. But it is yet to be settled that whether the effects of the drug are transitory or permanent.

The article reports on the inter-hospital cross-validation of irregular discharge patterns for young versus old psychiatric patients. This study used what has been proposed as a measure of patient's attitudes and feelings toward a hospital differences in type of discharge between young and older two psychiatric hospitals. It was concluded that younger patients in hospitals obtained significantly more irregular discharges. The younger patients' lesser acceptance of two divergent types of treatment program approaches was interpreted as a possible reflection of two separate populations of patients who reacted in terms of their own distinct characteristics.