Malingering is the intentional endorsement or exaggeration of physical or mental symptoms for secondary gain. It typically presents in incentivized situations, such as obtaining money or financial gain, or avoiding criminal prosecution. Malingering is particularly important within forensic settings because the stakes can be extraordinarily high. Findings such as incompetence to stand trial, criminal insanity, or severe psychiatric impairment can significantly alter the trajec

When Action Loses Its Direction Psychosis does not only affect what a person believes, perceives, feels, or says. It can also disrupt how a person behaves, moves, and engages with their environment. In schizophrenia and related disorders, this is known as grossly disorganized or catatonic behaviors. Disorganized behaviors are striking. In many ways, they represent the behavioral expression of the same cognitive disruption discussed in earlier articles . When thought becomes

Disorganized Speech: When Thought Loses Its Structure Disorganized speech is one of the more striking features of psychosis. To the listener, it often sounds rambling, illogical, or incoherent. However, while it often presents in a random manner, it reflects a deeper disturbance in the individual's ability to think, structure, and organize their thoughts. In earlier articles, we discussed thought disorder as the foundational disruption underlying psychosis. Disorganized spee

Hallucinations: When Perception Breaks from Reality Hallucinations are among the most widely recognized psychotic symptoms. Like most psychotic symptoms, they are not debilitating simply because they exist, but because of how the individual interprets them. Hallucinations reflect a breakdown in the reliability of perception, where internal stimuli are experienced as coming from the outside world. While delusions are distortions in thought and hallucinations are distortions i

Delusions are one of the most interesting features of psychosis. Frequently described simply as “false beliefs,” they often act as a guide for how individuals should think and act. Delusions are not random ideas. They arise from deeper disruptions in the structure and function of thought itself, previously covered in our Thought Disorder Article . To understand delusions, it is important to appreciate how the psychotic mind constructs, organizes, and ultimately believes dist

To truly understand psychosis, it is important to appreciate how thought itself can become disordered. After all, psychosis is inherently a disorder of thought. The word schizophrenia literally translates to “splitting of the mind.” Psychotic symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganization do not occur in a vacuum. Rather, they emerge from a disruption in the structure and integrity of one’s thinking. In other words, psychosis is fundamentally a breakdown in

“I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.” Pablo Picasso, The Weeping Woman (1937) Despite being one of the most debilitating mental illnesses, schizophrenia remains widely misunderstood. Popular culture often depicts it inaccurately. It is commonly referred to as “split personalities” or associated with unpredictable violence. These misconceptions distort public understanding of the disorder and contribute to confusion across a variety of settings, including h

Protecting society at large and the defendant's rights. What is legal insanity and why is it so controversial? "Almost everyone’s...

Competency to stand trial is the most commonly referred forensic evaluation. At its most basic form, it refers to the defendant's ability...

What we do and how we differ from clinical practice. What is a Forensic Psychologist? Forensic psychology refers to the application of...