bIXIPI CORRELATES OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS 219
The marked contrast between ulcerative colitis and the psychosomatic subgroup of mucous colitis is interesting because the two diseases involve an organ system in common. These data support the view that these groups differ psychologically and argue against the assumption of psychological similarity related to common organ system involvement.
The wide rnnge of group means on scale 1 suggests that hypochondriacal thinking is n prominent feature in differentiating the various psychosomatic subgroups from each other as well as from ulcerative colitis patients.
SUAIMARY
In this study, 56 ulcerative colitis patients were differentiated from 122 other patients with various psychosomatic diagnoses on several MMPI variables. The ulcerative colitis patients were significantly less psychologically disturbed in terms of MMPI dimensions than psychosomatic patients showing a moderately elevated MMPI profile of neurotic configuration resembling that of medical patients in general. Among psychosomatic sub-groups, ulcerative colitis patients differed most markedly from mucous colitis and muscle tension patients, who were significantly more emotionally disturbed. No single MMPI variable distinguished ulcerative colitis patients, nor was there any evidence in support of the uniqueness of their personality traits so often suggested in the clinical literature.