Use of the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory in evaluating patients with severe tinnitus

The Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) was evaluated as a diagnostic tool for personality disorder among 41 patients with severe tinnitus. Nearly 70 percent of the subjects demonstrated a personality disorder. Nearly half of the patients fell into one of two categories; dependent/submissive or the narcissistic category. Other important features include a high incidence (24%) of severe anxiety. One-third of the patients had a complaint tendency but 50 percent had a denial problem. We have found the MCMI to be easy to administer and evaluate and it provides the clinician with useful information. We believe that more routine use of this or similar instruments would improve the treatment outcome of tinnitus sufferers by bringing into focus the important psychological factors found in each patient.