SCREENING FOR ORGANICITY: A COMPARISON OF TWO NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PROCEDURES

BENJAMIN C CHAPMAN, Tennessee State University

Abstract

This study compares the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) with the Bender Gestalt Test (BGT) in screening for organicity among psychiatric patients. The two procedures were compared for accuracy and utility against the official hospital diagnosis. The data for this study were obtained from 43 psychiatric patients. The organic group comprised 25 subjects who were diagnosed as having some organic involvement in their psychiatric disorder. The nonorganic group comprised 18 subjects who had no organic involvement. The main findings demonstrate that the total accuracy, or hit rate, of the BGT in this study was 97.7%. The total accuracy, or hit rate, of the SPMSQ in this study was 67.4%. The SPMSQ was also found to produce very high numbers of false negatives. Because significance could not be attained in the comparison of SPMSQ scores and BGT scores and because there was a large differential in accuracy rates and numbers of false negatives of the two procedures, the SPMSQ could not be recommended for screening for organicity. The utility of the BGT was strongly supported.

Subject Area

Psychotherapy

Recommended Citation

BENJAMIN C CHAPMAN, "SCREENING FOR ORGANICITY: A COMPARISON OF TWO NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PROCEDURES" (1987). ETD Collection for Tennessee State University. Paper AAI8802631.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI8802631

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