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Neurotoxic complaint base rates of personal injury claimants: Implications for neuropsychological assessment
Author(s) -
Dunn John T.,
LeesHaley Paul R.,
Brown Richard S.,
Williams Christopher W.,
English Lue T.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(199507)51:4<577::aid-jclp2270510418>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - neuropsychology , head injury , complaint , psychology , personal injury , head trauma , family history , distress , clinical psychology , injury prevention , psychiatry , poison control , medicine , medical emergency , cognition , surgery , political science , law
This study reports base rate data for 113 family practice patients with no history of head trauma or toxic exposure, 68 family practice patients with a history of head trauma or toxic exposure, and 156 personal injury claimants with no history of toxic exposure or head trauma who presented for a psychological evaluation due to emotional distress. Personal injury claimants reported suffering from significantly more neurotoxic and neuropsychologic symptoms than subjects with a reported history of head trauma and/or toxic exposure. The authors urge that evaluating psychologists consider the base rate of these symptoms in litigating populations and use caution in relying on self‐reported symptoms as evidence of injury when patients are in litigation.