Contemporary diagnosis in forensic psychology

Abstract

Mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, the traditional providers of expert testimony, generally base their opinions solely on their interview of a defendant or plaintiff and on collateral sources (records and interview of other relevant parties). Psychological tests provide psychologists with a third source of information, so psychologists have a more stabile and valid foundation as the basis of their testimony. However, some of psychological tests are more appropriate then others for use in a forensic evaluations. For psychologist entering forensic practice, it is useful to know what tests are used by forensic psychologists; even more pertinent is understanding what tests are appropriate for particular of forensic evaluations. The answers to this question not only helps guide practice decisions but also addresses an important element that courts use to decide wether an expert's opinion is admissible at a hearing or trial. In practice, the results clearly indicate that frequency of use is not the same as general acceptance. Although some tests were rated as acceptable across the different types of evaluation, the strength of endorsement varied by type of evaluation. In addition, some tests were rated as acceptable for one area and not for another. This highlights the importance of examining the acceptability of tests by type of forensic evaluation.