May the choice be with you: Assisting practitioners with selecting appropriate psychometric assessments for the medico legal arena

Purpose Fraudulently claiming symptoms of mental disorder can be very lucrative for those in society who are willing to do so. One context that lends itself well to those willing to fraudulently claim symptoms of mental disorder is the road traffic accident (RTA). Previous research has indicated that the assessment practices of those charged with investigating psychological damages in the United Kingdom are not suitable in terms of detecting malingering. This article provides a ‘practitioner ready review’ that outlines the structured psychometric assessment tools that are recommended and validated by academic research for aiding with the detection of feigned mental disorder. Approach The article takes a primarily conceptual approach utilising a narrative literature review which is aimed at the forensic practitioner who conducts assessments for psychological damages in contexts where malingering may be of concern. Findings The findings of the present article will be of use not only to forensic practitioners but also will be of interest to those who instruct assessments in similar contexts, those who conduct research within this area, and those who interpret reports written by forensic practitioners such as the courts. Value To the author's knowledge the present article is the first of its kind, which attempts to bridge the gap between academic literature and professional practice to assist forensic examiners incorporate suitable psychometric instruments within their practice. As a result, the article makes a substantial contribution to the improvement of forensic reporting in the disciplines of psychology and psychiatr

The effects of investigating homicide on police investigators

This paper presents the initial findings of an exploratory study comparing the cognitive and emotional stressors experienced by police when investigating suspicious child and adult deaths (e.g. homicides). The results of an online survey questionnaire with 99 experienced UK police investigators are presented, with key differences found in the cognitive and emotional stress experienced depending on whether the victim was a child or an adult, and key differences and similarities identified in the ways investigators deal and cope with adult and child victim cases. A brief discussion of the implications for the well-being and training of police homicide investigators is also provided

Malingering and the fraudulent motor insurance claimant

Malingering is the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated symptoms in order to obtain an advantage. Although it has been estimated that over 800,000 claims for personal injury in Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) were filed in the UK in 2012, no approximation exists for how many involved malingering. This study attempts to understand what influences a psychiatrist to conclude that a claimant’s symptoms are not caused by an RTA and thus suggests the claimant is malingering. This article describes a study of Personality Assessment Inventory scores alongside collateral forms of evidence for 100 RTA claimants; all individuals seeking compensation for damages to their mental health. The results suggest that up to 40% of these claims could be categorised as not being the result of the RTA. Significant differences emerged between those claimants diagnosed as having a mental disorder as a result of the RTA and those claimants who were classified as not having a mental disorder as a result of the RTA in regards to: employment status, level of injuries and scores on the paranoia scales of the PAI. The study emphasises how the assessment process is idiosyncratic and in need of further research

Knowledge of Depression and Malingering : An Exploratory Investigation

Malingering mental disorder for financial compensation can offer substantial rewards to those willing to do so. A recent review of UK medico legal experts’ practices for detecting claimants evidenced that they are not well equipped to detect those that do. This is not surprising, considering that very little is known regarding why individuals opt to malinger. A potential construct which may influence an individual’s choice to malinger is their knowledge of the disorder, and when one considers the high levels of depression literacy within the UK, it is imperative that this hypothesis is investigated. A brief depression knowledge scale was devised and administered to undergraduate students (n=155) alongside a series of questions exploring how likely participants were to malinger in both work place stress and claiming for benefit vignettes. Depression knowledge did not affect the likelihood of engaging in any malingering strategy in either the workplace stress vignettes or the benefit claimant vignettes. Differences were found between the two vignettes providing evidence for the context specific nature of malingering, and an individual’s previous mental disorder was also influential