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

With increasing frequency neuropsychologists are being asked to serve as experts in court cases where judgements must be made as to the cause of, and prognosis for brain diseases and injuries. This book describes the application of neuropsychology to legal issues in both the civil and criminal courts. It emphasizes a scientific basis of neuropsychology. All of the contributors are recognized as scientist-clinicians. The chapters cover common forensic issues such as appropriate scientific reasoning, the assessment of malingering, productive attorney-neuropsychologist interactions, and ethics. Also, covered are the determination of damages in personal injury litigation, including pediatric brain injury, mild, moderate, and severe traumatic brain injury in adults (with an introduction to life care planning); neurotoxic injury; and forensic assessment of medically unexplained symptoms. Civil competencies in the elderly persons with dementia are addressed a separate chapter, and two chapters deal with the assessment of competency and responsibility in criminal forensic neuropsychology. This volume will be an invaluable resource for neuropsychologists, attorneys, neurologists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and their students and trainees.

"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.

Written specifically for the clinical neuropsychologist who does forensic consultations, the book is a comprehensive review by experts of the procedures available to evaluate malingered neuropsychological deficits. It discusses tools for detecting atypical patterns of performance on standard clinical tests as well as malingering on measures of perception and sensorimotor function, of attention, processing speed, and memory, and of executive function. The underpinnings of the forensic neuropsychology enterprise are presented in chapters on definitions of malingering, research designs for its evaluation, data on the frequency with which malingering occurs, diagnostic classification statistics, symptom validity tests that do not depend on forced choice testing, and those that do. Guidance on assessing exaggerated psychiatric symptoms; exaggerated medical symptoms and injuries; and detecting malingering during the neurological exam is also included. Of particular note is a chapter devoted to the topic of coaching. The book closes with a review of the diagnostic criteria for malingering and looks to the future with evidence-based proposals for improving the criteria.

In the past decade, few subjects at the intersection of medicine and sports have generated as much public interest as sports-related concussions - especially among youth. Despite growing awareness of sports-related concussions and campaigns to educate athletes, coaches, physicians, and parents of young athletes about concussion recognition and management, confusion and controversy persist in many areas. Currently, diagnosis is based primarily on the symptoms reported by the individual rather than on objective diagnostic markers, and there is little empirical evidence for the optimal degree and duration of physical rest needed to promote recovery or the best timing and approach for returning to full physical activity. Sports-Related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture reviews the science of sports-related concussions in youth from elementary school through young adulthood, as well as in military personnel and their dependents. This report recommends actions that can be taken by a range of audiences - including research funding agencies, legislatures, state and school superintendents and athletic directors, military organizations, and equipment manufacturers, as well as youth who participate in sports and their parents - to improve what is known about concussions and to reduce their occurrence. Sports-Related Concussions in Youth finds that while some studies provide useful information, much remains unknown about the extent of concussions in youth; how to diagnose, manage, and prevent concussions; and the short- and long-term consequences of concussions as well as repetitive head impacts that do not result in concussion symptoms. The culture of sports negatively influences athletes' self-reporting of concussion symptoms and their adherence to return-to-play guidance. Athletes, their teammates, and, in some cases, coaches and parents may not fully appreciate the health threats posed by concussions. Similarly, military recruits are immersed in a culture that includes devotion to duty and service before self, and the critical nature of concussions may often go unheeded. According to Sports-Related Concussions in Youth, if the youth sports community can adopt the belief that concussions are serious injuries and emphasize care for players with concussions until they are fully recovered, then the culture in which these athletes perform and compete will become much safer. Improving understanding of the extent, causes, effects, and prevention of sports-related concussions is vitally important for the health and well-being of youth athletes. The findings and recommendations in this report set a direction for research to reach this goal.