Appl Neuropsychol Adult
September 2024
The Trauma Symptom Inventory-Second Edition (TSI-2) is garnering research interest as a symptom validity test in the evaluation of trauma-related disorders. However, there has been limited empirical validation of its validity scales in clinical and forensic real-world settings. This study evaluated the ability of the TSI-2 Atypical Response (ATR) scale to discriminate response bias in cognitive performance and symptom reporting in a large sample of disability and compensation-seeking claimants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFrom presenting with flu-like symptoms, seizures, and erratic behaviour including hallucinations, to being dismissed as "partying too much" and misdiagnosed with schizophrenia before the ultimate provision of a neurological explanation - encephalitis; this was a true sequence of events for the 24 year old female, Susannah Cahalan, who suddenly became ill with a mysterious illness that was misdiagnosed even after extensive evaluation until a neurologist was able to diagnose and effectively treat her (Cahalan, 2012; Barrett, 2016). Susannah's case bemused the medical field and became the plot of a book that subsequently garnered attention, large enough to be adapted into a movie, titled "Brain on Fire" (Barrett, 2016). Her case illustrated the exquisite interplay of neurology, physiology, and neuropsychology, complicated by personality traits and stereotypical behaviours observed in young adulthood, the period in which psychiatric illnesses also often begin to manifest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA current need exists for research to assist clinicians in the capacity evaluation process, especially in relation to assessment of clients with complex issues such as fluctuating capacity and communication barriers. The aim of this article is to promote knowledge and consideration of these issues through an examination of neuropsychological, ethical, and medical-legal factors associated with the assessment of capacity in an individual with both fluctuating capacity and communication impairments. The discussion includes a narrative case study of a complex individual case seen by the Regional Capacity Assessment Team (RCAT) for an assessment of decision-making capacity related to personal and financial matters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol
March 2010
The main objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between cognitive deficits, as measured by the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), and decision-making capacity and to determine whether the sensitivity and specificity of the MMSE varied based upon the patient population assessed. Using a sample size of 152 patients and varying cutoff scores, the MMSE demonstrated extremely poor sensitivity. In contrast, the MMSE had excellent specificity when scores of 19 or less were obtained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychol Health Med
August 2008
This study describes an innovative tool developed by the Regional Capacity Assessment Team (RCAT) to assess unique psychosocial factors related to capacity evaluations. Capacity is a socio-legal construct entailing the ability to understand choices, appreciate consequences and follow through (or direct a surrogate) with chosen options. RCAT's targeted psychosocial assessment includes medico-legal factors, social history and supports, coping skills, religious/cultural factors and risk of abuse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe construct validity of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) indices and subtests in comparison to established neuropsychological measures has yet to be investigated in post-acute adults with a moderate to severe acquired brain injury. A sample of 37 patients from an inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program were administered the RBANS followed by a neuropsychological test battery approximately two weeks later. Significant relationships were observed between most of the RBANS subtests and indices and neuropsychological tests putatively assessing similar cognitive domains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Adverse cognitive effects associated with lithium are often implicated as contributing to vocational and social impairment, as well as medication noncompliance. As impaired cognitive functioning caused by lithium has clear clinical implications, it is important to determine whether evidence for or against impaired cognitive functioning exists in the literature.
Objectives: An attempt is made to synthesize findings from previous studies, which assess a variety of cognitive domains, to determine whether conclusions can be drawn regarding lithium-associated cognitive impairment.
Anti-convulsant medications have been employed to treat behavioural disorders resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, there is a paucity of literature investigating the use of lamotrigine to treat aggression and agitation in patients with TBI. In a single case study design, the present study examined the effectiveness of lamotrigine to treat aggressive and agitated behaviour in a 40-year-old male who sustained a severe TBI.
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