Selected Tests and Testing in Psychological Injury Evaluations I

Abstract

This chapter and the next one in the monograph examine in more detail testing in psychological injury evaluations and some crucial tests in the area. Previous chapters have examined important tests in the area, such as the SIRS (Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms; Rogers et al. 1992) and the MMPI-2-RF (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition, Restructured Form; Ben-Porath and Tellegen 2008/2011). There are five parts to the two chapters. The first begins with general testing considerations, especially with respect to validity. Then, it examines tests related to two of the three psychological injuries – PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) and pain. The second of these chapters examines the third major psychological injury – TBI (traumatic brain injury). Next, it examines in more detail some personality measures – the MMPI’s (MMPI-2, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition; Butcher et al. 1989, 2001) and the Rorschach – (it presents information on the newly revised Rorschach assessment system, the R-PAS, Rorschach Performance Assessment System; Meyer et al. 2011). Finally, the chapter provides an example of an SVT (symptom validity test), the VSVT (Victoria Symptom Validity Test; Slick et al. 1997). Note that the section on PTSD includes discussion of its criteria and how it might be changed soon in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Draft Version; American Psychiatric Association 2012), because, as its criteria will change, so must its tests.