Lithium responders: An evaluation of psychological test characteristics

The MMPI was administered to 29 acutely disturbed inpatients who had various psychiatric diagnoses prior to treatment with lithium carbonate. The patient's response to lithium was rated and correlations with pretreatment MMPI scores were determined. The Ac scale, a measure of acquiescence response set, was found to the best correlated of response to lithium. While other scales such as Ma, X, F and R were associated with response to lithium, multiple regression analysis indicated that this association may have been a function of acquiescence in these scales. It was suggested that the Ac scale may reflect an activation disorder common to a number of psycholic syndromes.