Legal and Ethical Issues in Mental Health (4 Hours)

This program is designed to give mental health clinicians practical information about the detection of malingering and lying. The latest research on malingered hallucinations will be covered. Psychotic hallucinations will be distinguished from non-psychotic hallucinations. Suspect auditory hallucinations are less likely to be associated with delusions. Persons faking auditory hallucinations may say they have no strategies to diminish malevolent voices and claim that all command hallucinations must be obeyed. Malingerers are more likely to report extreme severity and intensity of their hallucinations. Suspect visual hallucinations are more likely to be reported in black and white rather than in color, be dramatic and more likely to include miniature or giant figures. Resolution of genuine hallucinations and delusions with anti-psychotic treatment will be delineated. Participants will learn twelve clues to detect malingered psychosis and four clues to detect malingered insanity. Videotapes of defendants describing hallucinations will enable participants to assess their skills in distinguishing between true and feigned hallucinations.

Workshop Content:
What motivates people to malinger?
Evidence based clues to lying
Common errors in lie detection
The role of inconsistency
Clues to malingered psychosis
Phenomenology of genuine hallucinations
Characteristics of command hallucinations
The nature of hallucinatory questions
Strategies to cope with hallucinations
Patterns of atypical hallucinations
Approaches to detecting faked insanity defensesWorkshop Objectives:
Identify three clues to malingered hallucinations
Describe two motivations for malingering
List three common errors in lie detection
Identify two characteristics of genuine hallucinations