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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 18 of 18. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 9:45:29
I think I have this. I'm going to ask my therapist on Wednesday to see my "chart" to see if he has indeed diagnosed me with this.
Has anyone on this board been diagnosed with this? And if so, is therapy helping at all?
And am I allowed to ask to see any notes he has written on me? I took the MMPI test at the beginning of my therapy in August which showed clinical levels of depression, anxiety, and repressed anger. Does anyone know if this test can diagnose personality disorders?
Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 9:56:02
In reply to Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 9:45:29
Hi, the MMPI was designed long before the DSM IV so it wasn't designed to test for the existing personality disorders.
But they've done tons of correlation studies, and there is some scale elevations that go along with certain diagnoses. You can do a search, like mine was MMPI 2-7-8, in google. Let's see, anxiety is 7, depression is 2, what is repressed anger? do you know?
But for what it's worth, I've found that my MMPI 2-7-8 fits me better than any of the DSM IV diagnoses. Maybe DSM ought to chuck theirs and use the MMPI instead.
Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 10:07:32
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder » Miss Honeychurch, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 9:56:02
Actually, I may have lucked out. It doesn't look like typing other results in comes up with matches like mine did.
Posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 10:12:37
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 10:07:32
I don't know what repressed anger would score, but I'll ask on Wednesday for my other "scores."
It seems so odd to me that a yes/no test can diagnose your problems!
Posted by karen_kay on November 23, 2003, at 10:17:21
In reply to Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 9:45:29
Hey hun! Did some research and this is what I found for you. MMPI was revised to MMPI 2 in 1989, so that is most likely the one you took. I too took it, but my old therapist never commented on it. Only said it was inconclusive. What does that mean? Thinking I should give him a call.. Maybe I don't want to know...
Back to you..
MMPI is good for diagnosing psychiatric disorders (ie hypomania, depression, hysteria, ect.) but it can also suggest personality disorders like antisocial personality disorder. I did some more research to see if this was correct adn found that...
Borderline personality disorder (I only picked this because I thought it would be easier to find info)
scores high on scale 4 and scale 6
and low on scale 5So, I suppose the MMPI can suggest personality disorders. I'll take another look on histronic and see what I come up with...
Karen
Posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 10:20:49
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by karen_kay on November 23, 2003, at 10:17:21
Dinah and Karen,
Thanks for the help/input!
Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 10:25:10
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 10:20:49
I figure if you're going to let some multiple choice computer test tell you what's going on in your innards, you have a right to know why. :)
I researched it thoroughly after I took it, and in fact reconstructed the test and its scoring protocols on a lotus spreadheet and retook it so I could check out all the neat little subscores.
Which tells you more about me than the actual test did, I think. ;)
Posted by karen_kay on November 23, 2003, at 10:41:47
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 10:12:37
Ok, something else... Scale 4 is called Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) scale. High scores are likely diagnosed with a form of personality disorder but they are unlikely to receive a psychotic diagnosis. Some refer to scale 4 as the "anger scale" but according to the author of the site that is an oversimplification. If you want more info on MMPI go to google and type in MMPI. I remember before taking the test I researched for days, trying to cheat. :( I'm a bad girl.....
Also, I don't really think that your therapist will allow the test to simply diagnose. It may point him (her?) in the right direction, allowing questions to come up and further investigation to continue. It shouldn't be used to diagnosis. You took it at the beginning of therapy? Or close to, right? My old therapist finally made me take it when he figured out I was less than honest with him. After I took it he didn't bring it up, leaving me wondering "Am I antisocial? Am I a psychopath? What's wrong with me? Did he know I had Borderline and knew he couldn't help me?" Shortly after I transfered to a different therapist anyway, so it really doesn't matter... I didn't like him much anyway... (black and white thinking.. gets me every time :)
Karen
Posted by fallsfall on November 23, 2003, at 11:14:28
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder » Miss Honeychurch, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 10:25:10
You are so cute! I want to do that.
Posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 16:18:24
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by karen_kay on November 23, 2003, at 10:41:47
I am so not a numbers/statistics question. All of this talk boggles my mind. I usually diagnose myself with actual physical problems, I am a huge hypochondriac. Last year alone I was positive I had MS and PArkinsons DIsease, even went so far as to have had 2 brain scans. Both were fine of course and that is when I realized I needed real help.
So now I'm self diagnosing my psychological problems! I'm sure my shrink will LOVE that. But, I seem to fit the profile. I a m just dying to knowif he thiks I am one or not!
Posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 17:27:36
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder » Dinah, posted by fallsfall on November 23, 2003, at 11:14:28
My therapist thought it was hilarious - so 2-7-8 of me, and just what he would expect. Well, ok, maybe even a bit more than he would have expected.
The psychologist who did the testing looked a bit scared. She and my therapist worked together, and I asked him later if she commiserated with him over having me as a client. He just smiled. :)
I must say though, it did show fine library resource use on my part.
Posted by judy1 on November 23, 2003, at 18:43:06
In reply to Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 23, 2003, at 9:45:29
my shrink told me that the majority of patients he treats with anxiety/panic disorders have histrionic personalities- it's basically a given. I'm considered to have it- I guess I feel it's the least of my problems.
take care, judy
Posted by cubic_me on November 24, 2003, at 5:54:07
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder » Miss Honeychurch, posted by judy1 on November 23, 2003, at 18:43:06
here's a free personality disorder test on the web, i thought you might find it useful:
Posted by lookdownfish on November 24, 2003, at 10:21:41
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by cubic_me on November 24, 2003, at 5:54:07
That was great fun. I scored high for Histrionic and Narcissistic. This is a fairly crude method - I guess we shouldn't take it too seriously.
Posted by cubic_me on November 24, 2003, at 10:45:53
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder » cubic_me, posted by lookdownfish on November 24, 2003, at 10:21:41
Yep I tend to agree, I've come out with different results every time I've tried it!
_me
Posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 24, 2003, at 10:52:22
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder » cubic_me, posted by lookdownfish on November 24, 2003, at 10:21:41
Hey I scored high for histrionic and narcissistic as well! I should bring in my results to my shrink and just watch him roll his eyes in disgust!
Posted by Karen_kay on November 24, 2003, at 18:56:24
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Miss Honeychurch on November 24, 2003, at 10:52:22
<<I scored very high for histrionic as well, along with borderline and dependent (which sounds about right)... oh well, I'm not going to waste my time worrying about something else that may or may not be wrong with me. I have enough on my plate for now! :)
Hey I scored high for histrionic and narcissistic as well! I should bring in my results to my shrink and just watch him roll his eyes in disgust!
Posted by Dr. Rod on November 25, 2003, at 3:18:53
In reply to Re: Histrionic Personality Disorder, posted by Dinah on November 23, 2003, at 10:07:32
Thanks, Cubic_me, for bringing that test to the board... I copied the questions for future study... I hope y'alls don't get toooooooo zonked on the results... I took one look at the flow of the questions, and then I "just said NO"... Now that's sorta jerky of me to do, but I wanted to test the test... I scored low on everything… Big Duh!!! Who woulda thunk that I could score low in every category by cheating??? Double Duh!!!
I like the "Kuder Preference Test" style where you have to commit to two three-choice ranges that oppose each other... Since you start out committing to the first few answers and their opposite, you can't answer similar questions differently without getting caught messing with the test... Pretty tough...
The administrator of the test has "bingo cards" to compare to your results... If you answer the questions one way, you might be a good candidate for a sales position... Answer another way and you might look good for accounting and bookkeeping... Some other categories are minister, chef, truck driver, school teacher, assembly-line worker; about 140 different types in all...
Its been 20 years since I took it last... Be interesting to see if anything has changed...
Most important is these tests leave you one more time feeling that "who you are is only what you do or have done", and each of us iso much more than that... If we are ever in a coma, who we are doesn't change, yet we can't do anything, good or bad, if we are comatose; can't hold up banks, or write the great American novel, or pray, or ignore housework, or get drunk, or kiss your children... Can't do anything, yet who we are doesn't change...
These tests, all these tests, point to tendencies we have more than 50% of the time... Well, 51% is more than 50%... Does that prove anything then???
What you know about the person you see in your mirror is your best guess of who you are... If you are afraid to stare at yourself in the mirror, you're probably suffering from internal conflicts that need to be extinguished so you can move on... You are the only one that the person in your mirror will ever really know and trust completely...
So, your discoveries of who you are will always be bigger news than what these tests indicate you are...
This is the end of the thread.
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