title: Differences between bipolar and unipolar depression on Rorschach testing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The bipolar-unipolar distinction in patients with a major depressive episode is the most important issue related to the diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders, but remains unresolved. This study was undertaken to compare bipolar and unipolar depression on Rorschach testing using the Comprehensive System with reference to healthy Japanese controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with bipolar or unipolar depression who had undergone the Rorschach test for routine clinical purposes were followed up naturalistically for a long period. Based on diagnostic confirmation after long-term follow-up, scores on this test for patients with bipolar and unipolar depression were compared with those published elsewhere for healthy Japanese controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The bipolar depression group showed significantly higher scores or positive findings in five variables of the Rorschach test, ie, WSum6, DR2 > 0, (CF + C) > FC + 2, PureC > 1, and Populars > 7, as assessed using the Comprehensive System, than did the unipolar depression group and healthy controls. These scores did not differ between the unipolar depression and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study show thought disorder or cognitive slippage and marked laxness in modulating emotion in bipolar depression, indicating the psychopathological characteristics of bipolar disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osaki
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asakura
authors.forename: Teruaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitaichi
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masui
authors.forename: Nobuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kako
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abekawa
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kusumi
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Kenzo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Denda
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koyama
keywords: Rorschach test; bipolar depression; bipolar disorder; thought disorder; unipolar depression