Color and number preferences of patients with psychiatric disorders in eastern Turkey

Abstract

Color and number preferences have not been studied in healthy subjects and psychiatric patients in Turkey. The study group consisted of a total of 500 patients who had been referred to Firat University Medical Faculty Psychiatry Clinic between March and July 2000 and diagnosed a psychiatric disorder according to DSM-IV criteria. Preferred colors were requested as a selection from the Luscher Color Test. Then the patients were told to choose a number between 0 and 9. Green was the most frequently preferred of all colors and the number 3 was the most preferred number. Our results demonstrate that patients' choice of color and number reflect the region's religious and cultural milieu.