Neuropsychologists and forensic psychologists have long lacked a systematic, scientific means of assessing head injury cases, of distinguishing those plaintiffs whose pain and suffering is real and deserves just compensation from those who are simply faking it. Cecil R. Reynolds and his expert contributors provide the first definitive work on this subject, focusing on problems that beset clinicians who are called upon to evaluate head injuries in civil courts. They describe the major malingering detection techniques currently in use.
Increased public awareness of traumatic brain injuries has fueled a number of significant developments: on the one hand, more funding and more research related to these injuries and their resulting deficits; on the other, the possibility of higher stakes in personal injury suits—and more reasons for individuals to feign injury. Expanding both the conceptual and clinical knowledge base on the subject, the Second Edition of Detection of Malingering during Head Injury Litigation offers the latest detection tools and techniques for veteran and novice alike. As in its initial incarnation, this practical revision demonstrates how to combine clinical expertise, carefully-gathered data, and the use of actuarial models as well as common sense in making sound evaluations and reducing ambiguous results. And, the book navigates the reader through the many caveats that come with the job, beginning with the scenario that an individual may be malingering despite having an actual brain injury. Among the updated features: •Specific chapters on malingering on the Halstead-Reitan, Luria-Nebraska, and MMPI-2. •A framework for distinguishing genuine from factitious PTSD in head injury cases. •Detailed information regarding performance on the WMT, MSVT, and NV-MSVT by children with developmental disabilities. •Guidelines for explaining symptom validity testing to the trier of fact. •Entirely new chapters on mild TBI and on malingering of PTSD symptoms in the context of TBI litigation. Professional neuropsychologists and forensic psychologists will appreciate this new edition of Detection of Malingering during Head Injury Litigation as an invaluable source of refinements to their craft, and improvement as an expert witness.
Expanding both the conceptual and clinical knowledge base on the subject, the Third Edition of Detection of Malingering during Head Injury Litigation offers the latest detection tools and techniques for veteran and novice alike. Increased public awareness of traumatic brain injuries has fueled a number of significant developments: on the one hand, more funding and more research related to these injuries and their resulting deficits; on the other, the possibility of higher stakes in personal injury suits—and more reasons for individuals to feign injury. As in its earlier editions, this practical revision demonstrates how to combine clinical expertise, carefully-gathered data, and the use of actuarial models as well as common sense in making sound evaluations and reducing ambiguous results. The book navigates the reader through the many caveats that come with the job, beginning with the scenario that an individual may be malingering despite having an actual brain injury. Among the updated features: Specific chapters on malingering on the Word Memory Test (WMT), Test of Malingered Memory (TOMM) MMPI-2, MMPI-RF and MMPI-3; Detailed information regarding performance on performance validity tests in the domain of executive functioning and memory, Guidelines for explaining performance and symptom validity testing to the trier of fact; Chapters on mild TBI in children in head injury litigation, cultural concerns and ethical issues in the context of head injury litigation.
Expanding both the conceptual and clinical knowledge base on the subject, the Third Edition of Detection of Malingering during Head Injury Litigation offers the latest detection tools and techniques for veteran and novice alike. Increased public awareness of traumatic brain injuries has fueled a number of significant developments: on the one hand, more funding and more research related to these injuries and their resulting deficits; on the other, the possibility of higher stakes in personal injury suits-and more reasons for individuals to feign injury. As in its earlier editions, this practical revision demonstrates how to combine clinical expertise, carefully-gathered data, and the use of actuarial models as well as common sense in making sound evaluations and reducing ambiguous results. The book navigates the reader through the many caveats that come with the job, beginning with the scenario that an individual may be malingering despite having an actual brain injury. Among the updated features: Specific chapters on malingering on the Word Memory Test (WMT), Test of Malingered Memory (TOMM) MMPI-2, MMPI-RF and MMPI-3; Detailed information regarding performance on performance validity tests in the domain of executive functioning and memory, Guidelines for explaining performance and symptom validity testing to the trier of fact; Chapters on mild TBI in children in head injury litigation, cultural concerns and ethical issues in the context of head injury litigation.
This book is a comprehensive analysis of the definitions, concepts, and recent research on malingering, feigning, and other response biases in psychological injury/ forensic disability populations. It presents a new model of malingering and related biases, and develops a “diagnostic” system based on it that is applicable to PTSD, chronic pain, and TBI. Included are suggestions for effective practice and future research based on the literature reviews and the new systems, which are useful also because they can be used readily by psychiatrists as much as psychologists. In Malingering, Feigning, and Response Style Assessment in Psychiatric/Psychological Injury, Dr. Young ambitiously sets out to articulate and synthesize the polarities involved in the assessment of response styles in psychological disabilities, including PTSD, pain, and TBI. He does so thoroughly and very even-handedly, neither minimizing the degree that outright faking can be found in substantial numbers of examinees, nor disregarding the possibility that there can be causes for validity test failure other than malingering. He reviews the prior systems for classifying evidence of malingering, and proposes his own criteria for feigned PTSD. These are conservative and well-grounded in the prior literature. Finally, the book contains dozens of very recent references, giving testament to Dr. Young's immersion in the personal injury literature, as might be expected from his experience as founder and Editor in Chief for Psychological Injury and the Law. Reviewer: Steve Rubenzer, Ph.D., ABPP Board Certified Forensic Psychologist
Despite a rich and turbulent history spanning several centuries, malingering continues to be a controversial and neglected clinical condition that has significant implications for medical, social, legal and insurance interests. Estimates of malingering - the wilful, intentional attempt to simulate or exaggerate illness in the pursuit of a consciously desired end - vary greatly, despite the fact that malingering is believed to contribute substantially to fraudulent health care and social welfare costs. There is little consensus about what would constitute a coherent assessment of malingering, and base rates have been difficult to establish. Malingering remains a difficult attribution to make not least since it falls outside the remit of the formal psychiatric classifications. Labelling a person as a malingerer however, has significant medico-legal, personal and economic ramifications for both subject and accuser. Viewed in this way, malingering is not so much illness behaviour in search of a disease, as the manifestation of a conflict between personal and social values. The aim of this book is to effect an integration of the different medical, forensic, neuropsychological, legal and social perspectives. The book provides an overview of progress in disparate fields relevant to the subject, including how recent social and neuroscience findings regarding volition, intentional states and theory of mind may have implications for informing detection, management and ultimately its explanation.
"This book brings together excellent contributions spanning the historic basis of neuropsychology in forensic practice, ethical and legal issues, and practical instruction....The editors have done an outstanding job in providing us with a volume that represents state-of-the-art in forensic neuropsychology. This volume also will be useful for graduate students, fellows, and practitioners in clinical neuropsychology." --Igor Grant, MD, Executive Vice Chair, UCSD Department of Psychiatry This book serves as an updated authoritative contemporary reference work intended for use by forensic neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, pediatricians, attorneys, judges, law students, police officers, special educators, and clinical and school psychologists, among other professionals. This book discusses the foundations of forensic neuropsychology, ethical/legal issues, practice issues and special areas and populations. Key topics discussed include the principles of brain structure and function, history of clinical neuropsychology, neuropsychology of intelligence, normative and scaling issues, and symptom validity testing and neuroimaging. Special areas and populations will include disability and fitness for duty evaluations, aging and dementia, children and adolescents, autism spectrum disorders, substance abuse, and Neurotoxicology. A concluding section focuses on the future of forensic neuropsychology.
