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Psychophysiologic testing for post-traumatic stress disorder: forensic psychiatric application

R K Pitman1, S P Orr

  • 1Harvard Medical School, Psychophysiology Laboratory, Manchester, NH 03103.

The Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
|January 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Psychophysiologic measurements offer a more objective way to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in legal settings. This can help establish or refute PTSD arousal criteria and aid expert psychiatric evaluations in court.

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Area of Science:

  • Forensic Psychiatry
  • Psychophysiology
  • Trauma Studies

Background:

  • The diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) faces challenges in validity due to the subjective nature of both traumatic events and the disorder's symptoms.
  • These validity issues are particularly pronounced within the forensic context, complicating legal assessments.
  • Objective measurement tools are needed to enhance the reliability of PTSD diagnoses in legal proceedings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential of psychophysiologic measurements to improve the forensic validity of PTSD diagnoses.
  • To assess the utility of psychophysiologic data in establishing or refuting PTSD arousal criteria in legal cases.
  • To evaluate the role of psychophysiologic testing as part of a comprehensive forensic psychiatric evaluation for PTSD.

Main Methods:

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  • Review and synthesis of published research studies involving military and civilian subjects with and without PTSD.
  • Analysis of psychophysiologic data to identify patterns associated with PTSD arousal criteria.
  • Consideration of the integration of psychophysiologic testing into existing forensic psychiatric evaluation protocols.

Main Results:

  • Psychophysiologic data can provide objective evidence to support or contradict the presence of PTSD arousal criteria.
  • These measurements can assist psychiatric experts in estimating the likelihood of PTSD in claimants.
  • Published research indicates the potential for psychophysiologic data to be admissible as evidence in litigation.

Conclusions:

  • Psychophysiologic measurements offer a valuable, objective component for forensic psychiatric evaluations of PTSD.
  • This methodology can enhance the scientific rigor and legal admissibility of PTSD assessments.
  • The integration of psychophysiologic testing is anticipated to become standard practice in forensic evaluations for PTSD.