Rorschach Schizophrenic Score (RSS)

Abstract

“Rorschach Schizophrenic Score” (RSS) provides a method for an objective and quantitative analysis of the Rorschach protocols with a purpose of differentiating schzophrenia from other clinical groups, especially psychoneurosis.
RSS was first prepared for the examination of 1) general formal scoring categories, 2) form level ratings, 3) Bühler's Basic Rorschach Score, and 4) Watkins & Stauffacher's delta %.
As a result, it was found that P, R+% (including all the primary form responses), W-%, BRS and delta % were the factors by which schizophrenic group was differentiated from psychoneurotic group at 0.5% level of confidence (t-test). Hence these five factors were synthesizes by Fisher's “discriminant function”.
We obtained by this statistical method Z score of -14.13, which was the cut-off point between schizophrenia and psychoneurosis. Thus Z≤-14.13 was called “Rorschach Schizophrenic Score” (RSS) and 77% of schizophrenic group came within this score.
Subjects used in this research were as follows :
1) Schizophrenic group (SGr.) N=30
These patients have been diagnosed undoubtedly as chronic schizophrenia which were considered comparatively fresh cases by more than two psychiatrists.
2) Psychoneurotic group (PGr.) N=30
This group consisted of eight anxiety neurotics, three hysterics, five obsessivecompulsive neurotics, six neurosthenics and eight neurotics of mixed-type who had visited the National Institute of Mental Health for treatment.
3) Normal group (NGr.) N=30
They were well-adjusted adults and have never undergone any psychiatric treatment. The subjects mentioned above were homogeneous with regard to the following conditions : age, sex, educational level, socio-economic level and so on.
The protocols which had less than 10 reponses were omitted because of difficulty for diagnosis in many cases.