Malingering and Illness Deception

Despite a rich and turbulent history spanning several centuries, malingering continues to be a controversial and neglected clinical condition that has significant implications for medical, social, legal and insurance interests. Estimates of malingering - the wilful, intentional attempt to simulate or exaggerate illness in the pursuit of a consciously desired end - vary greatly, despite the fact that malingering is believed to contribute substantially to fraudulent health care and social welfare costs. There is little consensus about what would constitute a coherent assessment of malingering, and base rates have been difficult to establish. Malingering remains a difficult attribution to make not least since it falls outside the remit of the formal psychiatric classifications. Labelling a person as a malingerer however, has significant medico-legal, personal and economic ramifications for both subject and accuser. Viewed in this way, malingering is not so much illness behaviour in search of a disease, as the manifestation of a conflict between personal and social values. The aim of this book is to effect an integration of the different medical, forensic, neuropsychological, legal and social perspectives. The book provides an overview of progress in disparate fields relevant to the subject, including how recent social and neuroscience findings regarding volition, intentional states and theory of mind may have implications for informing detection, management and ultimately its explanation. Contributors to this volume - Prof Mansel Aylward, Office of the Chief Medical Advisor, Dept of Works & Pensions, London, UK Dr Charles Baron, Occupational Health and Safety Unit, Flintshire County Council, Mold, UK Dr Christopher Bass, Dept of Psychological Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK Prof Richard Byrne, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, Fife, UK Prof Kenneth Craig, Dept of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Prof David Faust, Dept of Psychology, Brown University, Kingston RI, USA Prof Richard Frackowiak, Wellcome Dept of Cognitive Neurology, Institute of Neurology, London, UK Dr Richard Frederick, Dept of Psychology, US Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, Missouri, USA Prof Peter Halligan, School of Psychology, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, UK Dr Marilyn Hill, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada Prof Michael Jones, School of Law, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK Mr Richard Kitchen, Benefits Agency Chief Investigator, Birmingham, UK Dr Judith Libow, Dept of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland CA, USA Dr John Locascio, Vice President, UnumProvident Insurance Company, Portland ME, USA Prof Christopher Main, Dept of Behavioural Medicine, University of Manchester, Salford, UK Prof Bertram Malle, Dept of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene OR, USA Ms Samantha Mann, Dept of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK Dr George Mendelson, Dept of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia Dr Craig S Neumann, University of North Texas, Denton TX, USA Dr David Oakley, Dept of Psychology, University College London, UK Prof Ian Palmer, Royal Defence Medical College, Gosport, UK Dr Loren Pankratz, Consultant Psychologist, Portland OR, USA Dr Jon Poole, Health Centre, Cross Street, Dudley, UK Dr Lindsay Prior, School of Social Sciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, UK Prof Adrian Raine, Dept of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA, USA Prof Peter Robinson, Dept of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Prof Richard Rogers, University of North Texas, Denton TX, USA Dr Michael Sharpe, Dept of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Dr Sean Spence, Dept of Psychiatry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Mr Alan Sprince, Cayman Islands School of Law, Grand Cayman, British West Indies Ms Emma Stokes, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, Fife, UK Prof Aldert Vrij, Dept of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK Dr Nick Ward, Wellcome Dept of Imaging Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, London, UK Prof Simon Wessely, Dept of Psychological Medicine, GKT School of Medicine, Denmark Hill, London, UK Dr Fiona Wood, School of Social Sciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, UK Dr Matthew Wynia, The Institute for Ethics, Chicago IL, USA