Taking psych tests

Quick question: I'm being scheduled for a battery of psych tests in the near future. Who takes the tests?

I mean, I'm assuming they're looking for a consistent voice but as you well understand, we don't have one. Whoever is fronting doesn't work either because we are co-conscious most of the time. We agree on a lot but disagree a statistically significant amount of the time.

Yagr, seriously, are you trying to be funny? If you are scheduled to take the tests then you take the tests... if you mean who gives them, wherever you are attending will have a certified teacher qualified to give the testing in the state of which you live in. Usually it is through the Psychiatry Board for that state. I hope that answers your questions. tc

This is a DID board. She is asking which alter is to take the tests...

Yagr, I don't have DID so I cannot comment with an answer, but I wish you well on your tests.

Lol....whoever shows up!

What are the tests?

Taking personality tests are like so dumb for multiples. Maybe your taking a dissociative test like MID or DES? If you want to study, try going here?:

Dissociative Experiences Scale

http://www.bainbridgepsychology.com/...lysis_V3_8.xls

Sometimes we can vote on who takes it because we have no known original, but if you do have an original, that's the one that should be taking it.

It's like a lot of us here have multiple personalities in this forum section. It can get confusing if one is not accustomed to the multiple way of thinking, or the mixes of pronouns....it messes me up saying and listening sometimes!

I expect that the battery will consist of the MMPI-2, the MCMI-3, the Rorschach ink blot test, and the Kohs block design test - it's the normal battery given to patients referred to psych testing in this part of the world. Incidentally, we both tend to show up - and definitely both of us to something like this.

It's ridiculous for me to take the tests period - but they're going to get done so I'm trying to figure out how to survive them. I (as in the one typing this right now) can't do the Rorschach test - I'm pathologically literal; everything looks like ink that has been blotted. But my alter thinks its fun. The MMPI-2 gives me nightmares though, can't answer about twenty percent of the questions and an eight percent 'failure to answer' invalidates the test. She could fill in for me there but its still going to invalidate the test - they just won't know its invalid.

The other respondents got it right omega...wasn't trying to be funny.

Hey, maybe it's a multiple answers test, where you can have multiple answers! Stuff can get so confusing.

Words trigger us also, so do thoughts, memories- yeah, I would stick with the original as much as possible.

Unfortunately, it's true or false only. We agree on a lot of stuff but when we don't - we really don't. And answering a question 'true' when someone co-conscious is screaming "FALSE"...well, it can get messy.

*nods* But what about the examples I gave - like not being able to do the ink blot test. I mean, they're not going to accept ten answers in a row of "looks like ink that's been blotted". And the MMPI-2? I can't not answer twenty percent of the questions - but I can't answer them and she can. But 80:20 will still screw up the test - I mean, if not answering eight percent is enough to make the test invalid, then having someone else answer twenty percent of them is going to mess it up too.

looking for a consistent voice ....no not if you are in the USA. none of the diagnostics for dissociative disorders is having a consistent voice. (you can read about the diagnostics for america in the link at the bottom of my post)

the tests look for things like discontinuity, sense of agency, sense of control, disruption in identity, alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, motor functioning and other issues that are common with DID. (in short the diagnostic criteria and and other associated symptoms.)

who takes the tests .....everyone..... you will all have ample time to take the part of the tests that has to do with your own jobs, purposes, reasons for being created. just the way the new tests and testing procedures are set up now,

also wanted to add that the tests you find on line are no where near the tests that they give now. for example the DES that you find on line is no longer used. the DES B is used but for only self assessment to be verified against the psychiatrists observations, other tests and interviews. the MID has also been changed drastically from what you can find online and the MMPI's have been discontinued\ or being phased out and replaced by the PID5 series not to mention new tests for cultures because the new standards take into consideration ones own race\culture\ language differences which affect test taking abilities, along with new tests that look into someones early childhood background. because all these tests are so new they can not be found on the internet yet. theres a few samples out there that use questions that do not actually appear on the official versions but for the actual test questions, interviews you have to now go through a treatment provider.

in short if you havent gone through any psychiatric testing since 2013 expect a whole new experience.

suggestion maybe contact your treatment provider and let them know how you are feeling. maybe they can help you by making up a mock testing session with you where they walk you through the process not using any of the actual tests.

I'd just show up, take it, and whatever happens happens. If it just looks like ink on paper, that's what I'd say which says a lot.

I really appreciate your feedback - thanks. I know all the 'right' answers to the ink test, and I can answer all the mmpi-2 questions to come out normal...lessee:

1. bat, butterfly, moth
2. Two people, Christmas elves
3. Two for tea
4. animal skin rug
5. Butterfly, moth
6. Animal hide
7. Women, children
8. Animals...extra credit for four legged animals coming down a mountain if you hold it upside down.
9. Person
10. Crab, lobster, spiders

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ta-da!!!!!

Okay, that ta-da wasn't me - they keyboard was hijacked.

When i was tested years ago, there were at least five of us who took the tests

actually there are no right answers. the MMPI series is set up so that its individualized example....

one person may mark true for I always wanted to be a teacher and another person may mark false for I always wanted to be a teacher. one person may mark true for I never get depressed were as another person may mark false for I never get depressed. one person may mark true for I never steal and another may mark false for I never steal, one person may mark true for I never tried to harm myself and another may mark false for I never tried to harm my self. my point contrary to what you find on the internet and what treatment providers tell those taking the test there is no right or wrong answer. Sometimes the examiner will tell the person being tested they need to find the best answers possible to see that persons thinking process. ie is that person trying to manipulate the test. is that person answering on purpose with the goal of appearing normal. also you can expect to not be given the MMPI series anyway, washington is a state that is now phasing out this test series and switching over to using the PID5 series.

the ink test as you call it also has no right or wrong answers. they actually are just ink spilled on mat boards. a bit of history, the first ink blot test was created when a guy spilled his ink at his desk during the days of ink and quill writing style. he was surprised when he could see shapes in it. he showed people he knew and was surprised to find that those around him could see things in them too. some said it was a butter fly some said it was clouds some said it was farm equipment and some said it was nothing but ink. those that say animals liked animals, those that saw farm equipment were farmers, those who saw insects liked insects... hence the birth of the ink blot test. it tests to see what that person likes. if you say butterfly then you are an insect animal/ nature lover. if you say just ink you are a matter of fact, logical deal with facts rather than the abstract type person.

my point rather than assuming you can bluff and fake pull one over on the testor go into the test with an open mind...you want to know what is wrong with you and you can find out. a suggestion when taking the tests remind yourself that there is no right or wrong answer and you want to be truthful to you rather than what you think they want to hear.

I took the tests, and just let whoever wanted to answer. They are all "me". And I came out with diagnosis of MDD, DID, and a couple of personality disorders. Psych and pdoc both say that the personality disorders (avoidant, dependent, schizoid) are because of all the parts. As in dependent is the littles who never got the attachment they need, the teenager doesn't like to connect with others etc. So I think the tests will still give insight and can tell if you have DID. Can you find a part that likes to imagine things who might take the ink blot test?

I remember taking these tests 40 years or more ago... They got such oddball answers from me they said I wasn't taking it serious and discounted the whole test... Little did they understand I wasn't the only one taking the test. And I didn't realize that the others actually took over the body at the time either... If someone would have had the brains back then, I might not be in the situation I am now.

hi yagr ,
I took the MMPI-rf 2 test two years ago w my counselor. its basically true-false questions w only 338 questions it takes under an hour for me to take when I took it two years ago . my counselor administered the test to me and she stay in the room w me while I took the test . she told me it would take three hours cuz of my appointment with her follow after the test .






Diagnosis: Anxiety and depression
meds : Cymbalta 60 mgs at night
Vistrail 2 25 mgs daily for anxiety prn
50 mgs at night for insomnia with an additional 25 mgs=75 mgs when up past 1:00 in the morning

This is the type of issue I would like to avoid - discounting the whole test. In fact, such a result would actually do great harm. It's why I'm considering just testing normal - it won't be accurate, but it won't hurt me nearly as much.

That is only true for individual questions. Taken as a whole, there are many wrong answers. For instance, you can answer question number three as true or false and neither is incorrect; but you cannot answer question number thirty-nine the same way - the answers must differ. If you answer question number three as true, then question thirty nine must be answered as false. Failing to respond correctly to paired questions leads the test administrator to conclude, for instance, that you are making "an unsophisticated attempt at presenting yourself in a more positive light".

I now know the name of the person who will be administrating the test. Perhaps you are correct, but his website still lists the MMPI-2 and his office confirms this.

There are 'normal' answers and 'abnormal' answers. I listed the normal answers above.

In my second post on this site, I explained how I knew the tests so well. My post was modified to hide that information. I am not assuming that I can bluff my way through - I can. The MMPI-2 for instance, has one hundred thirty subscales. Every answer affects at least one other answer, and ninety-three percent of the questions affect two or more other questions.

But here is my problem: There are one hundred twenty-eight questions that I can not answer because they make no sense to me. I might as well flip a coin. That's better than twenty-two and a half percent of the questions. The fact that they don't make sense to me and I have to guess is probably note-worthy but no one is asking. If I leave just forty questions blank - that's seven percent, the whole test is considered invalid. So clearly, if seven percent blank is sufficient reason to invalidate the test - then guessing at nearly twenty-three percent should also invalidate the test...but it's not going to. As long as there are answers, they'll score the test. If I can't figure out how to answer the questions that are Greek to me, then what is an alternative to putting down answers that I know will score me in what I believe is an accurate fashion?

I'm sure whoever is giving you the test knows about the DID, if you explain to them to make sure you are present and not someone else it might help the test. I've heard some people have actually had someone read the test to them instead of taking it on paper and that helps them to stay present. If your having this much anxiety over taking the test its best to talk with them about what the outcome might end up being and see if they have any suggestions or ideas to help.

i took the rorshach test.. i was under the impression that it is not used anymore since the ink blots were leaked online. so it is no longer valid. i also took the long form MMPI (500 questions) twice, i had to take it twice bc i randomly filled in the answers. i also took the TAT, which is where you look at a picture and tell a story about it. these were all done 12 years ago when i was 16. i hated all the tests and just wanted to get out of there. so they were most likely not valid at all in my case.

They don't (know about the DID). I brought it up to my pdoc and therapist - I think it took them all of about thirty seconds to dismiss it. We won't be bringing it up again.

I've shared my anxiety, in detail. They're suggestion is that I overthink things and to stop doing that. It's how I think! It's sort of like your doctor telling you that you over digest your food but he's going to run some tests on you and needs you to stop over digesting your food for the tests so he can see what the problem is.

First, you're not going to be able to change the way you digest for a test. Second, even if you could, how would digesting differently for the two hours necessary for the test, accurately gauge your digestion problems that you've been suffering from? The tests will come back normal because you are digesting like a normal person now! Here's an example question and my problems with it:

"Do you dread going into a room by yourself where other people have already gathered and are talking?"

I hate social engagements period. That means that I hate going into a room whether other people have already gathered or will soon be gathering. I hate going into such a room equally by myself or with my closest friend. On the other hand, I'm really good at socializing. I don't have social anxiety in that I don't freeze up or don't know what to say. In fact, I always know what to say - I just hate it and would rather have a root canal without anesthesia.

So this is how my brain works:

Do you dread going into a room (party)? Absolutely true.

Do you dread going into a room by yourself? What the heck does 'by yourself' have to do with anything? Now it sounds like they are trying to determine if I need others with me to feel comfortable. A true answer now would lead them to believe that I lack the confidence to go into a room by myself and that is absolutely not true. So I'm leaning toward 'false'.

Do you dread going into a room by yourself where other people are already gathering and talking? Again, 'where other people are already gathering and talking' is a condition of the question that modifies what the question is asking. My answer is still technically 'true' but this addendum just muddies the waters. It is correlating my dread with both the fact that I am by myself and that people are already engaged. That is a faulty correlation.

Incidentally, I have told both my pdoc and therapist this and I've just gotten the 'you need to change the way you think' Okay, the test is in two weeks and I've been thinking this way for over a half century - let's be realistic. Here's another:

"I have close friends who served time in prison."

My wife spent twenty-four years in prison. She is my only friend. But the question says friends - plural. So false? I mean, one hundred percent of my friends have spent time in prison - all one of them. Technically, the answer must be marked 'false' since there is only one friend...but it seems to violate the spirit of the question.The next question isn't the best example, but it is a type of question I have a lot of trouble with:

"When I get something I want I feel excited and energized."

I get excited but not energized. So what is the answer? They are making the assumption that the two, excited and energized, are linked - but what happens when they are not for me? How do I answer? Another one is "I enjoy violent sports and movies" I don't like violent sports because it is real and someone can get hurt. I like violent movies because I know it's not real and no one is really getting hurt. Yeah, that's a better one.

The fact that these questions are impossible for me to answer seems more important than how I guess at the right answer - but no one is listening.

Yes well, in my little backwater part of the country, they still use it.

Omg...don't you hate that? The first time I heard that I just wanted to cry. It was so bad that I fired my new pdoc who told me that 'I wasn't DID' after only seeing me for 15 minutes and didn't even know my name yet! After all, I know how I think and that I'm seeking help....but to hit a brick wall. I ain't got time to deal with such ignorance. At least the next pdoc listened but made it clear that she was just a med machine, so I found a T but can't afford her

I wish you weren't stressing too hard about this...but like you said...that's you!

I too hate groups of people...causes my anxiety to overflow to panic to DP. Also, expressing my innerself to another human is soooo hard. It doesn't help none when everyone has something to say, and what needs to be said is so off the wall for a singular to say which drives anxiety also... So we say nothing.

I don't mind empty rooms though, I've got plenty of others to talk to while I'm sitting and waiting while nothing is happening.

We've decided that we are going to be real and true to ourselves, and that if we don't fill anyone's mold of expectations, they can kiss our azz. That includes all the scientific morons.