Cloning the clinician: A method for assessing illusory mental health

Abstract

Self-report mental health scales cannot distinguish between genuine mental health and the facade or illusion of mental health created by psychological defenses. Shedler, Mayman, and Manis (1994) demonstrated that experienced clinicians can differentiate genuine from illusory mental health using the Early Memory Test, and that illusory mental health may be a risk factor for medical illness. This article describes the development of the Early Memory Index (EMI), a formal scoring system for the Early Memory Test, and presents evidence for its reliability and validity. The EMI makes the technique for assessing illusory mental health accessible to a wide range of investigators, including investigators who lack extensive clinical training.

Seven Pillars of Defense Mechanism Theory

“…Two additional studies have also demonstrated that stress‐induced autonomic nervous system arousal – either SCL or coronary reactivity – is related to defense mechanism use (Shelder, Karliner, & Katz, 2003; Tang, 2002). That this relation between physiological reactivity and defense use is a function of stress is confirmed by further studies showing no relation under non‐stress conditions.…”

The secure base script: Associated with early maladaptive schemas related to attachment

“…While assessment tools such as the YSQ provide invaluable information about such areas of relational difficulty via beliefs about others, assessment is enhanced by attention to memory retrieval and discourse processes. Information gathered through self‐report and performance‐based measures tends to vary, and these differences would themselves provide useful clinical information (Shedler, Karliner, & Katz, ; Shedler, Mayman, & Manis, ). The method used to assess SBS content in the current study could be readily included within a therapy session.…”

Chronic fatigue syndrome and the somatic expression of emotional distress: Applying the concept of illusory mental health to address the controversy

“…Higher scores indicate more self‐reported distress. Designed by Shedler and colleagues for IMH research, the SDS “correlates highly with many mental health scales and provides scores that are approximately normally distributed in nonclinical samples” (Shedler, Karliner, & Katz, , p. 645). In the present data set, the SDS showed strong internal consistency (alpha = 0.92) and correlated highly ( r = 0.80, p < 0.0001) with the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, ).…”

“…The narrative/performance‐based measure was the Early Memory Index (EMI; Karliner, Westrich, & Shedler, ; Shedler et al, ), which is scored based on the Early Memory Test (EMT; Mayman, ). Administered in a pencil‐and‐paper fashion here, the EMT elicits elaborations of five early childhood memories.…”