HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kaldegg, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kaldegg, A.

The Wechsler Test in Clinical Practice

Comparison of Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Disorders with a Control Population

From the Department of Psychological Medicine, Guy's Hospital, London

ABSTRACT

Three groups of 20 subjects each were tested. The mean of their weighted scores and deviations from the mean were computed for each sub-test. Verbal and Performance part were kept separated. The scattergrams of each group were discussed. Ranking lists for the sub-tests and for the items were given. Sub-tests, items and failures were discussed.

On the ranking list for the verbal sub-tests Comprehension ranks first for the controls and third for the other two groups. The ranking order of the Performance sub-tests is the same for all groups in spite of differences in scatter.

Information.—The changes introduced with the anglicized version were not found to have affected the scatter picture.

Arithmetic.—Poor achievements of the control group made the diagnostic significance of a —— deviation doubtful.

Picture Arrangement.—The data tend to show that success or failure do not depend on intellectual abilities alone. The suggestion is made to exclude the sub-test from the computation of the mean, but not to discard it because of its possibilities as a projection test and its social implication.

Digits.—The sub-test was found to distort the scattergram and was excluded from the computation of the Verbal mean. The absolute number of digits repeated was found to be of less diagnostic significance than the difference between digits forward and backward.

Deterioration formula.—According to the formula the control group had fewer cases with no apparent deterioration than group B, and it seems that the formula has to be used with caution.

Group A (under treatment or investigation in the mental sphere):

Owing to its mixed composition the group gave no specific scattergram but the two well-known features common to all mental disorders were confirmed; heavy scatter, Vocabulary and Information well preserved. The Verbal part proved to be more stable than the Performance part. Comprehension and Digit Symbols were the most vulnerable sub-tests if Arithmetic is excluded. The group's difference between Digits forward and backward was 2.3 in favour of forward, against 1.6 in the control group.

Group B (psychosomatic disorders):

Scatter for the group as a whole was not severe, and the sum total of o deviations from the mean was the same as for the control group. The tendencies of the scatter differed, however, from group A as well as from group C. The group was better in Arithmetic than the other 2 groups, but poorer than the controls in Comprehension, Picture Completion and Digit Symbols. The time pattern in Object Assembly and the ranking of failures in Blocks differed from both the other groups, and the difference between Digits forward and backward was half-way between them, but, on the whole, it can be said that the group seemed nearer to group C, the controls, than to group A.

Received for publication June 15, 1950.