Further data on the diagnostic value of spontaneous drawing.

Abstract

In discussing 2 patients, the authors point out that a study of spontaneous drawings by psychotics can be of considerable diagnostic importance in clinical practice. The clear structure of the drawings threw doubt on the diagnosis of schizophrenia in the case of the first patient who could be classified in the schizophenia spectrum on the basis of the formal symptoms. In the case of the second patient, where th clinical picture suggested different diagnosis, the drawings represent the 'ossified' essence of the experience and behavior symptoms and thus provided an objective basis for nosological classification. In addition, a characteristic feature of the difference between the creativity of the schizophrenic and the creative artist could be seen from a comparison with medieval Gothic art.