Fifteen Ideas That Can Drive You "Crazy"

Everyone talks to themselves.  Unfortunately, sometimes the things we say to ourselves are less than productive.  In fact, some of our internal dialogues can make us “crazy.”  Here is the first of the “Big Fifteen.”

3. It is important for me to always win.

Fifteen Ideas That Can Drive You "Crazy"

Everyone talks to themselves.  Unfortunately, sometimes the things we say to ourselves are less than productive.  In fact, some of our internal dialogues can make us “crazy.”  Here is the first of the “Big Fifteen.”

2. It is important for me to be perfect

Cross Examining Psych Doctors - Tip #51-Sadness and Crying are Normal and Not Necessarily Indicative of Psychopathology

In reading medical-legal reports one frequently finds that physicians will list complaints and observations of the patient that are made during the face-to-face interview that include sadness and tearfulness.  In this regard, it should be noted that a reading of page 355 of the DSM-IV-TR and page 168 of the DSM-5 reveals that those manuals explicitly state that, “periods of sadness are inherent aspects of the human experience.” As such, any observations of sadness and related behaviors are not necessarily indicative of psychopathology.  Clearly, while it may be tempting to equate sadness, tearfulness and crying with psychopathology, it should be noted that these behaviors are well within the realm of normal human behavior and not necessarily indicative of pathology.  Individuals may cry for a variety of reasons, including being reasonably, normally, understandably, and expectably upset by physical difficulties, occupational problems and life circumstances. 

Check out my blog (http://drleckart.blogspot.com).  More help can be found at my website (www.drleckartwetc.com) and in my book Psychological Evaluations In Litigation: A Practical Guide for Attorneys and Insurance Adjusters

Cross Examining Psych Doctors - Tip #50-Testing Always Requires a Test Proctor or Supervision

Of all the five sources of information that are obtained about individuals undergoing psychological evaluations, the only form of objective data that is usually open to public inspection and can be presented to the court is the psychological testing data.  Accordingly, the manner in which those data are obtained, scored, analyzed and interpreted are of primary importance.  For example, the testing manual for the MMPI-2 provides information on the administration of the test, including the required testing conditions on pages 8 through 10 of that manual (Butcher, J.N., Graham, J.R., Ben-Porath, Y.S., Tellegen, A., Dahlstrom, W.G. & Kaemmer, B.  MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2) Manual for Administration, Scoring, and Interpretation, Revised Edition, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2001).  The manual very explicitly states that the MMPI-2 should not be given to the test-taker to complete at home and that the instrument should be administered with supervision by a qualified professional.  Most generally, similar “rules” should be followed for all other tests in order to guarantee the credibility of the doctor’s conclusions. 

Check out my blog (http://drleckart.blogspot.com).  More help can be found at my website (www.drleckartwetc.com) and in my book Psychological Evaluations In Litigation: A Practical Guide for Attorneys and Insurance Adjusters