State-dependent psychiatric phenomena on the Rorschach: two case studies of acutely unstable suicidal mental status

Two inpatient case studies are presented illustrating the clinical utility of the Rorschach to display and evaluate acute state-dependent psychiatric phenomena. The patients interviewed experienced severely acute, intrusive, ego-alien suicidal ideation. Comparison of test and retest data indicates correspondence between symptoms and test signs. Data suggest that Rorschach responses, given with serious and perhaps ominous affect involving inanimate movement, morbid content directly imputable to suicidal themes, and some co-occurrence of morbid content and inanimate movement, were closely associated with acutely unstable suicidal mental status and display remission coincident with clinical improvement. These efficiently available Rorschach data may be of value in substantiating acute mental status.