No abstract

SynopsisThis paper presents a Personal Questionnaire which is sufficiently simple for use in most clinical settings. Following a brief description of Personal Questionnaires, their origin and background are discussed and some subsequent developments delineated. The method involves the use of a general set of adjectives which can be used to qualify the symptoms experienced by any given patient. Successive measurements of the symptoms can be made so that changes in their subjective intensity can be monitored. The internal consistency of ratings of each symptom on each occasion is used as a measure of reliability. As with all previous Personal Questionnaires the symptoms which are measured are unique to the individual, but unlike other methods the format of this Questionnaire is predetermined, which ensures its simplicity and ease of use.

Summary This paper investigates the mutual influence which dysphasic stroke patients and their relatives have on each other. Evidence is presented which indicates some of the difficulties a spouse might have and their repercussions for the patient. The method used, structures interview data and produces a graphical representation of the relationship. This provides an overview which is easily understood and thus helps the spouse to decide how best to cope. The paper concludes with a discussion of the advantages of using this system as an adjunct to speech therapy.

A 38-year-old patient, who can give the day of the week of any day this century, is described. He is believed to have been autistic in early childhood. The relationship of the autistic child and the adolescent idiot savant is discussed and brief reference made to the patient's method.

A variation of procedure is described which greatly reduces the time required to administer Mulhall's PQRST. It lessens the sensitivity of the scale but retains other features. It uses the same materials as PQRST with some minor clerical alterations and, like the PQRST, takes less time to construct than Shapiro's original PQ. It has been used routinely with general practice and psychiatry out-patient referrals and is likely to have clinical rather than research application.