Analysis of MMPI patterns in patients with psychogenic pseudoseizures

We performed pattern analysis of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profiles of 55 patients with pseudoseizures in order to establish whether there was any single pattern which would be sufficient to characterize the entire sample. Two published methods of pattern analysis were used. Neither method revealed a single pattern or profile code which could best characterize the sample. The Graham method revealed that the Hysteria and Schizophrenia scales were most likely to be found among the profile leads, followed by the Depression, and to a lesser extent, the Hypochondriasis scales. According to the Friedman method, 30.9% of the records could be classified as 'spike', 'two-point code' or 'three-point code'. The most striking finding of the study is that 40% of the profiles had four or more clinical scale elevations. Furthermore, 91% of those profiles with multiple elevations had elevations on both the neurotic and psychotic scales. This suggests that a substantial proportion of MMPI profiles in this sample are complex, and the clinical picture which they reflect requires a broader scope of psychological analysis beyond that of a single psychological mechanism.