The Use of the Rorschach to Differentiate Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders

Abstract

We compared the Rorschach performance (using the Comprehensive System; Exner, 1986) of 29 unipolar depressed, 15 bipolar depressed, and 18 bipolar manic inpatient subjects (N = 62) classified on the basis of the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC; Spitzer, Endicott, & Robbins, 1985). The three main groups differed from one another on a variety of variables, especially those related to ideation and information processing. One finding of particular importance was that bipolar depressed subjects, like bipolar manic and unlike unipolar depressed subjects, showed a high level of cognitive slippage. These results suggest that the Rorschach possesses utility in the differential diagnosis of affective disorders.