Psychologic Tests in the Diagnosis of Organic Brain Disease

Abstract

In a group practice devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of both neurologic and psychiatric disorders, the large majority of patients are referred for psychiatric reasons. With psychotherapy available varying from simple counseling to orthodox psychoanalysis, it becomes of first importance to determine the presence or absence of organic brain disease, bearing in mind that deeper, mor extensive psychotherapy is often contraindicated or at least requires considerable modification in individuals with damaged brains. In routine study of patients in such a setting there have appeared obvious discrepancies in the relative values of neurologic and psychiatric examinations, electro-encephalo-graphies and the results obtained by the admn. of a battery of psychologic tests consisting of the following: Wechsler-Bellevue, Rorschach, Szondi, BRL Sorting Test, Word Association Test and Ellis Visual Design Test. Because of these discrepancies and because to our knowledge such a battery of psychologic tests, or one similar to it, has not been compared to the other examinations, a series of patients have been studied in which the above-named procedures[long dash]the neurologic and psychiatric examinations, EEG, and the battery of tests[long dash]have been carried out. The battery of psychologic tests so used proves to constitute a more delicate and sensitive procedure for the detection of organic brain disease than any of the other examinations mentioned.