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amount of fear concerning bodily functions and are likely to overreact

to the discomforts of surgery and hospitalization. The health

professional should be sensitive to the unwarranted concerns of these

patients and seek to minimize their consequences by engaging in periodic

supportive and reassuring discussions.


 Psychosomatic Correlates Scales (Scales MM-00)


 The scales comprising this section are designed for use only with

patients who have previously been medically diagnosed as exhibiting one

of a number of specific disease syndromes. The scores of each scale

gauge the extent to which the patient's responses are similar to

comparably diagnosed patients whose illness has been judged

substantially psychosomatic or whose course has been complicated by

emotional or social factors.


Scale MM: Allergic Inclination (34 items)


 High scorers among patients with allergic disorders--urticaria,

dermatitis, asthma--experience emotional factors as significant

precipitants of their disease process. The role of these influences

among low scorers is likely to be minimal.


Scale NN: Gastrointestinal Susceptibility (27 items)


 Higher scorers among patients with gastrointestinal disorders--

ulcers, colitis, dyspepsia--are likely to react to psychological stress

with an increase in the frequency and severity of symptomatology.