Malingering detection in a mentally retarded forensic population

Thirty-nine patients in a forensic mental hospital were evaluated using the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS) and several tests used for detecting malingered psychiatric and neuropsychological dysfunction. Patients were initially classified by a multidisciplinary team as nonmalingering participants (n = 12) and known malingerers (n = 9). All participants in both groups were pretrial and had been found incompetent to stand trial by the court. Eighteen more patients found to be not guilty by reason of insanity by the courts were included in the study. Using the SIRS alone, 95% overall classification accuracy was obtained. When the scores on the Dot Counting Test, Memory for Fifteen Items Test, and the M-Test were added to the discriminant function, all patients were correctly classified to the respective groups. The results are discussed in terms of complimenting interdisciplinary team diagnosis with psychological tests for malingering.