Personality Trait Characteristics in Relation to Neuropsychological Dysfunction in Schizophrenia and Depression

Knowledge of the personality trait and psychopathology variables that differentiate neuropsychologically impaired and nonimpaired psychiatric patients has been limited relative to the study of higher cortical functions. This study reports findings from the Milton Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) developed by Millon (1982) in a sample of hospitalized schizophrenics and depressives who also received the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery. The principal findings indicate that neuropsychological dysfunction may be related to substance abuse, including its underlying personality dimensions, in schizophrenia, but only modest support is indicated for the construct of negative symptoms in schizophrenics with neuropsychological dysfunction. Further, the findings do not support the view that psychosis is a characteristic feature of depressives with impaired neuropsychological performance.