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Effort, exaggeration and malingering after concussion Main Image

Effort, exaggeration and malingering after concussion

Mon 23 Jul 2012

This review looks into the factors that may lead to long-term problems after concussion

Abstract

Although most individuals who suffer a mild traumatic brain injury have complete recovery, a number experience persistent symptoms that appear inconsistent with the severity of the injury. Symptoms may be ascribed to malingering, exaggeration or poor effort on cognitive testing. The purpose of this paper is to propose that previously unconsidered factors, informed by social psychology and behavioural economics, can appear as 'symptom magnification' or 'poor effort', which are incorrectly interpreted as the result of a conscious process. These are complex and multi-determined behaviours with a unique differential diagnosis which have important implications for research, evaluation and treatment.

Click here to read the full text and a lay-summary on the BMJ website

Reference

Jonathan M Silver, Effort, exaggeration and malingering after concussion, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, Vol. 83, No. 8. (1 August 2012), pp. 836-841

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