Prevalence of malingering in Switzerland

What is it about?

This article informs about the prevalence of poor effort and probable malingering of neurocognitive dysfunction in litigating patients who underwent a neuropsychological assessment as a part of an independent medical examination. Poor effort and probable malingering correlated significantly with sociodemographic variables like low education, immigration and origin. Furthermore, there are associations with certain neurological and psychiatric diagnoses.

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Why is it important?

This is the first study that provides empirical data on the prevalence of probable and definite malingering in Switzerland. The findings show that the base rates of malingered neurocognitive disorders in Switzerland are comparable to those reported from other countries. Therefore, careful symptom and performance validation is crucial when one considers the costs of healthcare for performing unnecessary treatments, the inequitable distribution of disability and compensations resources, and the reduced access to health resources for patients who really need them.