SOCIAL ATTITUDE (CALIFORNIA F SCALE) AND CONVULSIVE THERAPY

Abstract

In a voluntary psychiatric hospital patients referred for convulsive therapy had significantly higher F scores than those receiving psychotherapy only. Among patients receiving convulsive therapy, those with the higher initial F scores had the best clinical results. With treatment there was a significant increase in F score, with the increase related to the degree of altered brain function. Following treatment the scores returned to their original level. Comparison of results with a conventional and "reverse" F Scale showed that patients with low F scores respond to the content of the questionnaire, while those with high F scores showed a generalized pattern of agreement independent of content. Results are interpreted in terms of psychological processes measured bv the F Scale. High-scoring patients are considered to be stereotyped in their thinking and to have difficulty in introspection-behavior which is incompatible with psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapy, rendering them more liable to referral for convulsive therapy. With treatment, such patients are also more likely to develop the language patterns of denial and use of chiches which are the cues for evaluations of clinical improvement. The increase in F score with treatment is comparable to other types of behavioral change, such as increased acquiescence, increased difficulty in figure-ground discrimination, and increased stereotypy of language.