May the choice be with you: Assisting practitioners with selecting appropriate psychometric assessments for the medico legal arena

Purpose Fraudulently claiming symptoms of mental disorder can be very lucrative for those in society who are willing to do so. One context that lends itself well to those willing to fraudulently claim symptoms of mental disorder is the road traffic accident (RTA). Previous research has indicated that the assessment practices of those charged with investigating psychological damages in the United Kingdom are not suitable in terms of detecting malingering. This article provides a ‘practitioner ready review’ that outlines the structured psychometric assessment tools that are recommended and validated by academic research for aiding with the detection of feigned mental disorder. Approach The article takes a primarily conceptual approach utilising a narrative literature review which is aimed at the forensic practitioner who conducts assessments for psychological damages in contexts where malingering may be of concern. Findings The findings of the present article will be of use not only to forensic practitioners but also will be of interest to those who instruct assessments in similar contexts, those who conduct research within this area, and those who interpret reports written by forensic practitioners such as the courts. Value To the author's knowledge the present article is the first of its kind, which attempts to bridge the gap between academic literature and professional practice to assist forensic examiners incorporate suitable psychometric instruments within their practice. As a result, the article makes a substantial contribution to the improvement of forensic reporting in the disciplines of psychology and psychiatry