In a 950-bed state psychiatric hospital, primarily an admission-and-treatment center, the case method was compared with the lecture-discussion method in teaching a unit on interpersonal relations with psychiatric patients to nurse aides. Two groups of 10 aides each were equated for age, sex, formal education, previous inservice training, and performance on a civil service test. The investigator used the case method with one group and lecture-discussion with the other in teaching interpersonal relations in caring for the patient at admission and orientation and in caring for the overactive, underactive, withdrawn, antisocial, adolescent, aged, and convalescent patient. A multiple-choice pretest, a clinical performance evaluation checklist and an opinionnaire were tools for evaluation. It was concluded that the case method was slightly more effective. Some recommendations were validation of results through similar studies, and study of the application of principles learned through the case method over a period of time. The appendix includes sample evaluation tools and unit objectives, definitions, and lesson plans. (JK)