Use of the Pain Patient Profile (P3) - Cross-Examining Psych Doctors, Tip #80

The Pain Patient Profile is a self-rating instrument that purports to provide measures of an individual on their credibility as well as any possible depression and anxiety in addition to the level of physical symptoms that are produced by psychological factors or variables.  A reading of the psychological literature fails to demonstrate that this instrument has any validity or reliability with regard to assessing psychopathology or providing any information about a patient’s test-taking attitudes or credibility.  Thus, any conclusions drawn from a patient’s performance on this “test” is entirely arbitrary and unsupportable and the use of this instrument in a medical-legal context is a substantial flaw in the psych doctor’s report.