Malingering or factitious disorder is the faking or intentional exaggerating of symptoms of a psychiatric illness. Malingering, in order to be awarded extra money from a jury, to acquire medical attention, or to mitigate a criminal charge, or still other secondary gain, is common in legal settings. The Forensic Panel’s expert psychiatrists maintain sophistication in the most updated techniques for the assessment of malingering and factitious disorder. One of the most difficult tasks of a malingerer, for example, is consistency – whether it be in symptom reporting, test scores or physical manifestations of the alleged diagnoses
Peer Reviewed Psychiatric Malingering and Factitious Disorder Assessment
To effectively identify malingering or factitious disorder, the expert psychiatrist often will work in conjunction with other experts from The Forensic Panel, such as psychologists and neuropsychologists. Together, they will identify inconsistencies in the client’s presentation that are indicative of malingering. Currently, mfactitious disorder assessment is a more challenging aspect of forensic psychiatry since some lawyers or even other mental health professionals “coach” clients before interviews and testing to help them avoid being detected as malingerers. The Forensic Panel, however, does not shy away from the challenge of determining malingering or factitious disorder, combining diligent psychological investigation with appropriate testing protocols. Peer review in The Forensic Panel ensures the forensic psychiatrist promotes accuracy in determining with scientific certainty the likelihood and nature of malingering and factitious disorder.