MMPI diagnosis of psychosis in epilepsy

Abstract

Clinical experience suggests that the diagnosis of psychosis in epilepsy with the MMPI is problematic, perhaps because the symptomatology of epilepsy and psychosis overlap. This study attempted to differentiate psychotic and nonpsychotic epileptics using the MMPI clinical and content scales, code-type categories, and modified Goldberg rule. A comparison group of schizophrenics was employed to explore differences between epileptic and schizophrenic psychoses. The failure of clinical scales and profile classification systems to differentiate the two epileptic groups implies that the MMPI might be insensitive to differential psychopathology in seizure-type subgroups.