The Diagnostic Drawing Series: A systematic approach to art therapy evaluation and research. Special Issue: Assessment in the creative arts therapies

Author(s): Hammer, Jeffrey S., Singer, Shira

Journal/Book: Arts in Psychotherapy. 1988; 15: 11-21.

Abstract: Developed the Diagnostic Drawing Series (DDS) to be used for art therapy assessment and to relate patients' drawings to psychiatric diagnoses. An exploratory study was conducted by administering the DDS to 239 psychiatric inpatients diagnosed with dysthymia, depression, or schizophrenia. Depressed Ss showed lack of effort or completeness, constriction, and bareness. Schizophrenic Ss' drawings showed fragmentation, disturbed spatial organization, disintegration, labeling, and writing in. Other than these findings, there appeared to be limited congruence between psychiatric diagnoses and DDS results.

Note: development of Diagnostic Drawing Series; assessment of art expression & psychiatric diagnoses; inpatients with dysthymic or depression or schizophrenia

Keyword(s): Art therapy; psychodiagnosis ; projective testing technique; schizophrenia ; major depression; dysthymic disorder; test construction; adulthood

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