A comparative analysis of primary anorexics and schizophrenics on the MMPI

Abstract

Although only a very small number of studies have described personality testing in primary anorexia nervosa (patients), they seem to suggest a deeper personality disturbance than commonly suggested by psychiatric interview. These results represent an attempt to define the contribution of psychological test data to differential diagnosis and personality organization in primary anorexia nervosa. Fourteen female schizophrenic and 14 female anorexic patients were compared on the MMPI. No significant differences were found on any of the validity or clinical scales. A product-moment correlation between the two profiles, obtained via a measure of distance between profiles, revealed remarkable similarities in their overall profiles (D2 = .83). The Depression, Psychopathic Deviate, Psychasthenia, Paranoia and Schizophrenia scales occupied the first five rankings for both groups (although in a different order) and were elevated over a T-score of 70 (for the anorexics, the Psychopathic Deviate scale score approached 70). The results are consistent with the few studies that utilized psychodiagnostic tests with anorexics and that point to extremely poor personality integration and to a more serious disorder than a neurotic disturbance.