Presenting complaints of applicants for psychological services.

Serial applications (N?=?500) for service at a psychological clinic were classified on the basis of the presenting complaints to examine the nature of presenting complaints and the hypothesis of a relationship between complaints and demographic characteristics, especially gender. Such complaints proved to be highly varied, and most were unrelated to demographic variables, including gender. The relation of 5 of the 20 complaints to gender could support the theory that men are more vulnerable to performance pressures and women more subject to conflicts about dependency, perhaps for reasons related to differing social roles and expectations. The "pain potential" and "motivation potential" of complaints were assessed; contrary to expectations, neither anxiety nor depression in themselves appeared to be strong motivators for seeking psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)