Achromatic Rorschach Perceptions: Some Implications for the Diagnosis of Depression

Abstract

The number of Rorschach achromatic perceptions of 10 male and 10 female hospitalized uni-polar depressed patients were compared with a control group of 10 male and 10 female hospitalized patients who held diagnoses other than depression or mania. The depressed patients gave significantly more achromatic perceptions than the non-depressed group. There was also a significant effect for sex and an interaction. The long held belief, based on clinical observation, that achromatic perceptions distinguish depressed from non-depressed individuals, was supported by this study. However, the intricacies of the results indicate that direct application in clinical work may be premature without further clarifying research.