title: Distinguishing between neuropsychological malingering and exaggerated psychiatric symptoms in a neuropsychological setting.
abstract: It is unclear whether symptom validity test (SVT) failure in neuropsychological and psychiatric domains overlaps. Records of 105 patients referred for neuropsychological evaluation, who completed the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), Reliable Digit Span (RDS), and Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), were examined. TOMM and RDS scores were uncorrelated with MCMI-III symptom validity indices and factor analysis revealed two distinct factors for neuropsychological and psychiatric SVTs. Only 3.5% of the sample failed SVTs in both domains, 22.6% solely failed the neuropsychological SVT, and 6.1% solely failed the psychiatric SVT. The results support a dissociation between neuropsychological malingering and exaggeration of psychiatric symptoms in a neuropsychological setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Neuropsychology Program, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192, USA. acr32@drexel.edu
authors.forename: Anthony C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ruocco
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Swirsky-Sacchetti
authors.forename: Douglas L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Chute
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mandel
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Platek
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Zillmer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity