Overview and Current Status of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory

The MCMI (Millon, 1983a, 1987, 1994, 1997a) was developed to operationalize Millon’s (1969/1983b) model of psychopathology and has been revised 2 times over the past 20 years to keep pace with changes in theory as well as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Since its introduction in 1977, it has become one of the most widely used and researched clinical assessment instruments in history, generating over 500 articles and 6 books. It has been translated into several languages and is being used in cross-cultural research. This article presents a historical overview of the measure and summarizes its current status in the literature. I highlight Millon’s original vision for the test, changes that have been made, and its strengths and limitations. Future refinement of the MCMI is already in the planning stages and includes trait subscales for the personality disorders and linking codetypes to theory-derived interventions.