This volume, the first to specifically address the function of psychologists as practitioners and scientists in medical settings, presents a range of approaches to assessment and diagnostic practice rather than a litany of specific tools, diseases, or diagnostic problems. The comprehensive discussion, augmented by 41 case studies, addresses the psychological assessment of patients and their families using traditional neuropsychological and psychological diagnostic tools in various topic areas and settings. The application of assessment to issues such as ethics and law, professional self-assessment and credentialling, and the communication of diagnostic findings is also discussed.

For two decades, I have been responding to questions about the nature of health psychology and how it differs from medical psychology, behavioral medicine, and clinical psychology. From the beginning, I have taken the position that any applica tion of psychological theory or practice to problems and issues of the health system is health psychology. I have repeatedly used an analogy to Newell and Simon's "General Problem Solver" program of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which had two major functional parts, in addition to the "executive" component. One was the "problem-solving core" (the procedural competence); the other was the representa tion of the "problem environment. " In the analogy, the concepts, knowledge, and techniques of psychology constitute the core competence; the health system in all its complexity is the problem environment. A health psychologist is one whose basic competence in psychology is augmented by a working knowledge of some aspect of the health system. Quite apparently, there are functionally distinct aspects of health psychology to the degree that there are meaningful subdivisions in psychological competence and significantly different microenvironments within the health system. I hesitate to refer to them as areas of specialization, as the man who gave health psychology its formal definition, Joseph Matarazzo, has said that there are no specialties in psychology (cited in the editors' preface to this book)."

Clinical neuropsychologists frequently evaluate individuals within a forensic context, and therefore must address questions regarding the possible presence of reduced effort, response bias and/or malingering. This volume offers a wide range of instructive real-world case examples involving the complex differential diagnosis where symptom exaggeration and/or malingering cloud the picture. Written by expert forensic neuropsychologists, the scenarios described provide informed, empirically-based and scientifically-derived opinions on the topic. Issues related to malingering, such as response bias and insufficient effort, are discussed thoroughly with regard to a large number of clinical conditions and assessment instruments. Test data and non-test information are considered and integrated by the numerous experts. Expert guidance for clinicians who must address the issue of malingering is provided in a straightforward and well-organized format. To date, there has not been a comparable collection of rich case material relevant to forensic practice in clinical neuropsychology.

Clinical neuropsychologists frequently evaluate individuals within a forensic context, and therefore must address questions regarding the possible presence of reduced effort, response bias and/or malingering. This volume offers a wide range of instructive real-world case examples involving the complex differential diagnosis where symptom exaggeration and/or malingering cloud the picture. Written by expert forensic neuropsychologists, the scenarios described provide informed, empirically-based and scientifically-derived opinions on the topic. Issues related to malingering, such as response bias and insufficient effort, are discussed thoroughly with regard to a large number of clinical conditions and assessment instruments. Test data and non-test information are considered and integrated by the numerous experts. Expert guidance for clinicians who must address the issue of malingering is provided in a straightforward and well-organized format. To date, there has not been a comparable collection of rich case material relevant to forensic practice in clinical neuropsychology.

For two decades, I have been responding to questions about the nature of health psychology and how it differs from medical psychology, behavioral medicine, and clinical psychology. From the beginning, I have taken the position that any applica tion of psychological theory or practice to problems and issues of the health system is health psychology. I have repeatedly used an analogy to Newell and Simon's "General Problem Solver" program of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which had two major functional parts, in addition to the "executive" component. One was the "problem-solving core" (the procedural competence); the other was the representa tion of the "problem environment. " In the analogy, the concepts, knowledge, and techniques of psychology constitute the core competence; the health system in all its complexity is the problem environment. A health psychologist is one whose basic competence in psychology is augmented by a working knowledge of some aspect of the health system. Quite apparently, there are functionally distinct aspects of health psychology to the degree that there are meaningful subdivisions in psychological competence and significantly different microenvironments within the health system. I hesitate to refer to them as areas of specialization, as the man who gave health psychology its formal definition, Joseph Matarazzo, has said that there are no specialties in psychology (cited in the editors' preface to this book)."

This volume, the first to specifically address the function of psychologists as practitioners and scientists in medical settings, presents a range of approaches to assessment and diagnostic practice rather than a litany of specific tools, diseases, or diagnostic problems. The comprehensive discussion, augmented by 41 case studies, addresses the psychological assessment of patients and their families using traditional neuropsychological and psychological diagnostic tools in various topic areas and settings. The application of assessment to issues such as ethics and law, professional self-assessment and credentialling, and the communication of diagnostic findings is also discussed.

In recent years, forensic neuropsychology has become a practice area of explosive growth and interest. This text elucidates the practice of forensic neuropsychology for those who need to understand the scope and limitations of this field. Fifteen chapters by neuropsychology and legal experts organized into four sections (Fundamentals, Practice Expertise, Relevant Populations, and Parameters of the Legal Arena) convey authoritatively a breadth of relevant information and the state-of-the-art of forensic neuropsychology. Topic coverage includes essential psychometrics, evaluation of premorbid function, personality and emotional functioning, complexities of executive functions, variables affecting decision-making, clinical and scientific foundations of the neuropsychological evaluation, differential diagnosis, malingering, ecological validity, mild traumatic brain injury, neurotoxin-related encephalopathy, special pediatric issues.
Forensic Neuropsychology will be useful for: practicing clinical neuropsychologists and those in advanced training, plaintiff and defense attorneys whose practices include brain injured individuals, and other health care providers in non-psychology disciplines (e.g., psychiatry, neurology) who are providing expert opinions in litigated brain injury cases, and in doing so use and interact with opinions of neuropsychologists.