The MBMD™ Test in Practice
The MBMD Assessment: A Tool for Chronic Medical Populations
Since the MBMD (Millon™ Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic) test was introduced in Fall, 2000, we have illustrated its application in various chronic medical populations. Recent issues of Bridging the Gap presented the test’s efficacy in pre-surgical psychological evaluations of candidates for organ transplant, implantable pain management devices, and bariatric surgery.
The following article revisits the research underlying the test’s development, specifically as it relates to patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS or diabetes mellitus, and summarizes the test’s value for patients with chronic medical conditions requiring major lifestyle changes.
Overview
The MBMD test was developed for clinicians who work with physically ill and behavioral healthcare patients. The test was designed to help the practitioner in the psychological understanding of these patients and to facilitate the formulation of treatment and management plans.
With 165 true/false questions, the test takes approximately 20–25 minutes to complete and is valid for patients aged 18–85 years. The test is a psychosocial assessment that provides information about psychiatric status, coping styles, stress moderators, treatment prognostics, and negative health habits.
Efficient, Effective, and Insightful
Physicians, nurses, health psychologists, and other healthcare providers may save time and increase clinical effectiveness when they use the patient information gathered from the MBMD test to help them:
- identify patients with significant psychiatric problems and consider specific suggested interventions
- identify patients who may not comply with medication regimens so more explicit information can be communicated to those patients
- identify the personal and external assets that a patient can call upon during recovery to facilitate adjustment to physical limitations or lifestyle changes
- structure post-treatment plans and self-care responsibilities in the context of the patient’s social network
Research suggests that information the MBMD test provides on a patient’s coping style and attitudes toward health can be useful in predicting:
- initial psychological reactions to news of a life-threatening medical diagnosis
- ability to make lifestyle changes required by certain diseases
- likelihood of keeping appointments and responses to rehabilitation efforts
Appropriate for Use with a Variety of Patients
Validity research using the MBMD was conducted with patients diagnosed with HIV, cancer, diabetes mellitus, or heart disease. Conclusions drawn from research can also be applied to patients with other chronic diseases who must strictly comply with medical directives.
For example, among HIV patients, elevated scores on the Cognitive Dysfunction and Emotional Lability scales were associated with a greater percentage of missed medications and with an increased perception that the medications would cause toxic side effects.
Among diabetes patients, higher HbAc1 (glycosylated hemoglobin) levels were associated with higher scores on the Cognitive Dysfunction, Interventional Fragility, and Medication Abuse scales, suggesting the MBMD test may be useful for identifying patients who need to develop skills to better manage their glucose levels.
Many patients diagnosed with a chronic illness may experience social isolation or depression or have a difficult time accepting the realities of their illness and the subsequent medication regimens and required lifestyle changes. MBMD test results can help healthcare providers understand which patients are likely to have more difficulty accepting their situation and adjusting, which patients lack coping skills and support, as well as which patients will need additional education or are likely to require additional support from medical staff.
Healthcare providers can use this information to create treatment and management plans individualized to the needs of each patient.
Material for this article was taken from the MBMD Manual (NCS Pearson, Inc., 2001), authored by Theodore Millon, PhD, DSc; Michael Antoni, PhD; Carrie Millon, PhD; Sarah Meagher, PhD; and Seth Grossman, PsyD, and a presentation given by Michael Antoni at the 2002 Millon Conference on Personality and Psychopathology, held October 18, 2002 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, entitled “MBMD Theory, Research and Clinical Utility.”
Call us at (888) 627-7271 for more information about the MBMD test or to place an order.
To request a print copy of this article and the complete newsletter, please call 1-888-627-7271 and reference F12W03.
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Winter 2003
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