ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses many of the issues that arise in testimony regarding presence, diagnosis, and causes of somatoform presentations, and how somatoform disorders are differentiated from malingering. Some plaintiff attorneys argue that it is not the purview of psychologists to diagnose a somatoform disorder, because it requires that true physical disorder and dysfunction be ruled out. Even some psychologists have testified that psychologists can only provide a somatoform diagnosis if a physician has already questioned whether claimed symptoms are excessive in light of objective medical findings. Plaintiff attorneys may allege that an accident and resultant injury has directly caused a somatoform disorder, and that the somatoform symptoms are just as disabling as true brain injury, arguing along the lines. Research has shown that personality test results obtained both before and after concussion in patients with chronic postconcussion symptoms are similar and reveal a somatoform orientation, indicating that the concussion did not "cause" the somatoform behavior.
