How to Read the Results of an MCMI-III PSI Profile

MCMI-III refers to the third edition of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, a psychological test published by Psychometric Software, Inc., or PSI. This test was designed for adults with an existing mental illness, such as those in a mental hospital, who have at least an eighth-grade reading level. The test looks for both personality disorders and clinical syndromes and can also detect a patient's response style, including random answering and the tendency to over- or under-disclose information.

Instructions

• 1

  Check that the validity score is 0 or 1. A score of 2 or 3 indicates that the patient responded randomly, which renders the test invalid. The validity portion of the test asks true/false questions that are highly unlikely to be true, such as "I was on the front cover of several magazines last year" --- a patient responding truthfully doesn't typically have two or three "true" answers for this section.

• 2

  Examine the disclosure scale. A score below 34 or above 178 renders the test invalid, as it means the patient is either over-eager or under-eager to disclose information about himself.

• 3

  Compare the desirability and debasement scales. The median score for these scales is 60. A high score on the desirability scale indicates the patient is trying to present herself in a positive light, whereas a high score on the debasement scale indicates the patient is presenting herself in a negative light.

• 4

  Look at the personality and clinical syndrome scales. The median score is 60 for each trait. A score between 75 and 84 on a trait indicates the presence of that trait; scores of 85 or above indicate the trait is not only present but persistent.