Serving those Who Served: Outcomes from the San Diego Veterans Treatment Review Calendar (SDVTRC) Pilot Program
AbstractVeterans Treatment Courts (VTCs) are a type of specialty treatment, problem-solving, criminal court. Though the number of VTCs has increased over the past decade, few research studies have examined their effectiveness. This paper examines the data collected concerning a particular VTC experience, the first 82 Veterans enrolled in the Veterans Treatment Review Calendar Pilot Program conducted by the California Superior Court of the county of San Diego from February 2011 until July 2014 (SDVTRC.) The evidence presented herein concerns the nature of this cohort ’s population, the SDVTRC program structure in which th...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - June 1, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Impact of Common Mental Health Disorders on Cognition: Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Forensic Neuropsychology Context
AbstractThe assessment and diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in forensic evaluations may lack an acknowledgement of the neurocognitive impact of these disorders and how they interact with other causative factors, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), pain or fatigue. Both PTSD and depression have a complex, growing and consolidating neuroscientific and neuropsychological evidence base, and both can affect neuropsychological test results. In forensic neuropsychological assessments, they are often considered to be confounding factors in evaluating TBI and neurodegenerative disorders but not a s...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - June 1, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Cognitive Impact of Fatigue in Forensic Neuropsychology Context
AbstractPhysical and mental fatigue are common factors affecting function and recovery in litigated injuries and illnesses. Despite the high prevalence of fatigue-related symptoms and anticipated impact on cognitive functioning, forensic neuropsychological assessments are often challenged by the following approaches to the evaluation of fatigue: (1) confusing physical and mental fatigue; (2) referencing fatigue as a factor in existence but disregarding its specific cognitive impact; (3) over-attribution of all identified problems to fatigue; and (4) neglecting the impact of fatigue on effort in testing. In the context of a...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - June 1, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Beyond Traumatic Brain Injury: Advancing Forensic Neuropsychological Assessment
AbstractAs research on the cognitive impact of medical conditions and mental health disorders advances, it is imperative for forensic neuropsychologists to stay abreast of rapidly accumulating new empirical evidence from neuroscience and neuropsychology to disentangle multiple determinants of cognitive impairment. Although medicolegal neuropsychological assessments traditionally focused on traumatic brain injury (TBI) sequelae, it is equally important to consider the potential impact of any other acquired, or secondarily induced brain impairments, regardless of their source. Such injuries or conditions are at times assumed...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - June 1, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Impact of Pain on Cognitive Function in Forensic Neuropsychology Context
AbstractChronic pain is a biopsychosocial condition with a complex neuroscientific and neuropsychological literature. Common types of pain that are seen in the medicolegal context include headaches and musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain, all of which are known to affect neuropsychological test results. Differentiating between the cognitive impact of pain and the effects of traumatic brain injury and other factors, such as emotional distress or fatigue, is often challenging, especially in forensic determinations. Cutting through the polarization of forensic examiners ’ opinions on the significance and nature of chronic ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - May 26, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
The Impact of Psychosocial and Contextual Factors on Individuals Who Sustain Whiplash-Associated Disorders in Motor Vehicle Collisions
AbstractMotor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are very common, and they often result in neck and shoulder injuries that are referred to as whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). The largest percentage of WAD are relatively minor and do not reveal any evidence of objective, structural pathology. However, for a substantial percentage of individuals, WAD evolves into chronic, disabling conditions characterized by pain and other symptoms. A range of pre-morbid, collision-related, biomechanical, and psychosocial responses to the MVC have been investigated to determine the manner in which these responses serve to exacerbate and maintain...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - May 9, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Comorbid Pain and PTSD: Integrating Research and Practice with MVC Survivors
AbstractFollowing a serious motor vehicle crash (MVC), an individual may develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as chronic pain. To date, little work has been done that can empirically guide practitioners with an evidence-based approach for psychological interventions in this population. Issues related to the changing definitions of PTSD and ways in which we conceptualize pain-related concerns are discussed, with implications for understanding the complex interrelationships between these two conditions. Theoretical and practical understanding of the common processes which contribute to the comorbidity of PTSD...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - May 4, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the Effect of Direct Versus Indirect Trauma Exposure on Symptom Profiles and Detectability
This study may provide insight for clinicians into the how malingered PTSD profiles can manifest as a result of direct and indirect trauma exposure; however, further research is strongly indicated. (Source: Psychological Injury and Law)
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - April 3, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
A Clinical Comparison, Simulation Study Testing the Validity of SIMS and IOP-29 with an Italian Sample
This study also demonstrates that the IOP-29, with its single cutoff score, is generalizable culturally and linguistically from the USA (English) to Italy (Italian). (Source: Psychological Injury and Law)
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - March 26, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
The Darker Side of Military Mental Healthcare Part One: Understanding the Military ’s Mental Health Dilemma
AbstractThe military ’s primary mission is to prevent, fight, and win wars. A critical key to its success is the military’s dual mission of force health protection that translates to preventing and treating the physical and psychological wounds of war in order topreserve the fighting force. To accomplish both missions, the military relies extensively on documenting its lessons learned to build upon its successes and prevent avoidable disasters caused by repeating its failures. The military ’s commitment to learning battlefield lessons are directly responsible for unparalleled technological and medical, life-saving ad...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - February 23, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
The Darker Side of American Military Mental Healthcare —Part Three: Five More Harmful Strategies to Manage Its Mental Health Dilemma
AbstractAs we reported in the previous two articles in this series, the U.S. military has actively attempted to deal with its mental health dilemma by utilizing 10 approaches. These strategies function to help the military avoid learning its war trauma lessons to the contrary, and it appears that their approach is to prevent or reduce mass psychiatric attrition and exorbitant costs associated with psychiatric treatment and disability pensions, to the clear detriment of its fighting force and their families denied adequate mental healthcare. In this final review, we examine the remaining five harmful approaches designed to ...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - February 9, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
The Boston Naming Test as a Measure of Performance Validity
This study was designed to evaluate the potential of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) as a performance validity test (PVT). The classification accuracy of the BNT was examined against several criterion PVTs in a mixed clinical sample of 214 adult outpatients physician referred for neuropsychological assessment. Mean age was 46.7 (SD = 12.5); mean education was 13.5 (SD = 2.5). All participants were native speakers of English. A BNT raw score ≤ 50 produced high specificity (.87–.95), but low and variable sensitivity (.15–.41). Similarly, aT score ≤ 37 was specific (.87–.95), but not very sensitive (.15–....
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - January 12, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
The Darker Side of Military Mental Healthcare Part Two: Five Harmful Strategies to Manage Its Mental Health Dilemma
AbstractThis is the second part of our analysis of the military ’s mental health care dilemma. Since the First World War, military and government officials have been quite wary of mass psychiatric attrition and escalating pension costs from warzones. Specifically, the military worries about unknown repercussions should war stress injuries be de-stigmatized and treated equally as physical wounds, as required per the military’s own documented lessons learned. Leaders fear that so-calledevacuation syndromes would spread, thereby depleting the fighting force for invalid reasons, eroding unit morale, and providing an accept...
Source: Psychological Injury and Law - January 11, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: research
