Quote:
Originally Posted by GrayNess
Hmm, well I won't make too many "i don't knows" but to prevent an invalidation, I'll probably guess or soemthing like that.
Well, so far it's been psychiatrists referring to psychiatrists. This test will be done by some psychologist who I'm still waiting for a phone call to come and do the test. I'm guessing it'd take a few weeks because it's a big facility and they'd have many other people to deal with.
I'm not worried about the therapist being shocked. I just don't want to get tossed in a psych ward or some other more secure place and screw up my academic career.
When I talked to the 2 psychiatrists before, they didn't tell me which scale would be used, but they said the MMPI-2 will be a long test, so I'm guessing the 567 questions. But they did keep on saying tests plural, but I only know MMPI-2 is one of them, so no idea what the others could be.
Oh well, if worst comes to worst, I'll see if the psychologist can help me answer the question (I doubt it) or I'll fake a few questions so I don't put too many "i don't know"s. It may not be 100% honest but I'm not planning to do a test for a few hours just to have them tell me it's invalid and may have to do it again or do more.
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I apologize if I ever come off as offensive as it is not my intent. I can be rather direct at times and sometimes this comes off as too blunt for some people. It is one of
my personal flaws. I'm sure you understand.
My best guess in your situation is that they need more data because they haven't spent enough time with you interviewing you and assessing you. That is likely why they feel the need for the MMPI-2, as you are too "complicated" for them (and/or they lean heavily on tests to make assessment go faster). Usually they will put you in a room by yourself to complete it to eliminate distractions, but it can still be valid if given in the presence of others. The test by itself is nothing, but can be an aid to assessment. I take issue with the overuse of tests by some in psychiatry/psychology, as they are not a replacement for the psychologist.
The MMPI-2 has it's flaws as all psychological/neuropsychological tests do, but in the hands of a skilled practitioner they can be really helpful in trying to get a full picture of the problem.
I took the
full MMPI-2 a few years ago. At that point in time I was taking it as the part of a job process, so to expedite the matter I just filled in whatever I thought they wanted to hear. If I remember right about 2.5 -3 hours for me to get through it, which means I didn't go any faster than if I would have answered every question honestly. I took the "short" abbreviated MMPI-2 a year ago. The difference between the "short version" and the full MMPI-2 is 300 some questions vs. 500 some questions. I remember very specifically one question:
"Is your father a good person?" I wish I remembered more questions, but don't always expect them to be measuring what you think they are measuring.
I took a real interest in your dilemmna because I have actually known people in my life with ASPD and/or NPD. It's tough to have and deal with either way. With the right professionals, it CAN be helped. I have seen it, but they are very difficult as our level of understanding of complex disorders in psychology/psychiatry is still quite poor compared to our understanding of other aspects of science (which is still quite poor, lol).
Good luck, come back and let us know how it went and all that. Did you get a date set for it yet?