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Codetype base rates for the “I mean business” suicide items on the MMPI‐2
Author(s) -
Sepaher Irena,
Bongar Bruce,
Greene Roger L.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199909)55:9<1167::aid-jclp13>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , psychology , suicidal ideation , clinical psychology , set (abstract data type) , psychiatry , suicide prevention , poison control , social psychology , personality , medical emergency , medicine , computer science , programming language
This study focused on the frequency with which two MMPI‐2 suicide items (506 and 520) were endorsed. These two items can be referred to as the “I Mean Business” items, for there is no denying that the client is reporting the recent contemplation of actively taking his or her life. A large sample ( N = 23,646) of well‐defined MMPI‐2 codetypes was examined from the Caldwell (1997) data set. The frequencies with which individuals within a particular codetype endorsed Item 506, Item 520, or both are provided by gender. Results provide information that is consistent with the clinical lore concerning suicidal ideation/intent and codetypes. Unexpected findings are also noted. The implications of these base rates in psychotherapy are discussed from clinical and risk management perspectives. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 55: 1167–1173, 1999.