LASA: Mock Individual Assessment Final Draft

Running head: MOCK INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT 1

MOCK INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT 12

Mock Individual Assessment

Argosy University

Forensic Mental Health Professional Individual Assessment Report

Course FP6020

Name: Ms. G Identification Number: 1234567 Date of Birth: April 25, 1960

Tests Date: February 5, 2019 Time Spent: 1 hour

Interview Date: February 8, 2019 Time Spent: 1 hour

Name of Assessment (competency to stand trial, substance abuse, not guilty because of insanity, or mental health evaluation).

Introduction

This evaluation paper is aimed at determining the type of mental issue which the suspect in the case scenario Ms. G is involved in. According to the case provided, it is evident that Ms. G does not fit to stand for the trial since he is suffering from some of the traumatic events upon losing her parents while she was still a teenager. The loss of her mother led to her mental disturbances, and this has gone untreated for her entire life. Therefore, this evaluation paper aims at creating a false forensic assessment report and the discussion of this report is based on the following headings: the reason for the referral; the presentation; the current life situation; background information; and the psychological history. Other sections of the discussion include the history of the substance use; medical history; the objective testing; the diagnostic presentation; recommendations as well as the conclusions.

Reason for referral

There are reasons as to why the case of Ms. G has been referred, and one of them is to have a confirmation on whether she is competent to stand a trial. The primary objective for the referral is to help in the verification of whether there is the presence of any proof regarding the malingering for the mental diseases. This assessment process is an important aspect when it comes to the forensic evaluation especially in this particular case. This assessment is also critical because it is clear that Ms. G is experiencing some mental challenges and this is adversely affecting her capacity to understand the charges she is currently facing (Vincent, Drawbridge, & Davis, 2019).

Ms. G also has some behaviors which are an indication that she is unable to make some coordination with the individuals responsible for defending her on her case. Nevertheless, there is no historical evidence concerning her Ms. G mental treatment from her tender age or childhood. Ms. G together with her brother has made a confirmation that lack of such historical treatment records is denying any therapy and therefore, the forensic test is primarily aimed at assessing if Ms. G is fully fit to stand a trial before the magistrate.

The forensic test is also aimed at determining whether there is any presence of the mental disorder or if there is any current mental impairment in Ms. G. The forensic examination will further help in revealing the severity of the mental disorder in case it is confirmed to be present. Furthermore, the forensic test will also be able to show whether the ability of Ms. G to understand charges has been interfered with and if the entire legal procedure should continue.

There will also be a possibility of uncovering if the potential malingering for the mental illness is present since based on the historical assessment of the medical history; Ms. G does not have any past treatment of the mental disorder. The forensic report will also act as guider towards knowing whether Ms. G is fit to stand a trial and provide the needed recommendation on the means through which he can be made competent to hold a hearing in case the evidence of mental disorder is not discovered.

Presentation

It is evident that Ms. G is having some mental issues which are disturbing her. This is primarily from the fact that she encountered many problems after the death of her parents and she lacked or lived in life without parental love and care. Upon her arrests in possession of neighbors' properties, she was belligerent and combative as became surprised by being blamed for involvement in criminal activity. She instigated a physical altercation with the law enforcement officers. Based on the report provided by the law enforcement officers, Ms. G was irritable, being assaultive, hyperactive, and irrational when approached (Ruiz, Hopwood, Edens, Morey, & Cox, 2018).

She was unable to engage in a chat, and her only belief was that the officers were trying to poison her. She had a high energy level. Ms. G refused to have a defense counsel and insisted on talking with the judge before the pre-trial. She even rallied other inmates to demonstrate against rules, and this led to a hunger strike. Ms. G became paranoid, and she claimed that the law enforcement officers had planted drugs on her.

Current life situation

Based on the current life situation, Ms. G is only having one family (a brother) whom they had lost contact with while they were still young. According to the response provided by her brother, Ms. G met on a few occasion with her brother while she was still four years old until the time she turned eighteen. Ms. lived with boyfriends, and there was no clarity concerning her occupation, and it is only thought she was involved in odd jobs and selling drugs. Towards the time she was arrested, she was intoxicated and found in being possession of the neighbor's property.

According to her view, she was arrested with no crime, and she believed that the primary intention of the law enforcement officers was to drug her. Even though she was found having another person's property, she never thought that such actions could be a crime. It is clear that due to the lack of proper upbringing by the families and in this case the families which were never in existence due to the loss of her parents, Ms. G never learned on what is moral and immoral. Therefore, it might be possible that the lack of proper upbringing, lack of parental love and care, and frustrations in life majorly contributed to her current situation of finding herself in the hands of the law enforcement officers.

Every attempt that the law court is trying to make for example to have a defense counsel to defend her seems to be meaningless to her. This is because she is stuck to the idea that the main reasons for her arrest are to be drugged and that the law enforcement officers were making an attempt to find the location and kill her only remaining family which is the brother. He was lacking the information that the police officers were looking for her brother to gather more information to confirm her history about the current behavior of being paranoid and even going further to rally other inmates top to organize for a demonstration against the law thus initiating a hunger strike.

Background Information

Ms. G lost her parents at a tender age and became isolated from her brother when they were taken to foster care. She made few contacts with her brother while at the age of four years, and they only met when she turned eighteen years. Her brother only managed to find her through the help of a private investigator. Ms. G. and her brother maintained intermittent contact since she was transient, moving from one country to another regularly. According to her brother, Ms. G had odd jobs and was involved in the selling of drugs, and she mostly lived with her boyfriends for survival.

Psychological History

Based on the response provided by a brother to Ms. G, it is clear that she never had mental problems. This is because her brother never witnessed her receiving mental health medication. Ms. G also denied any psychiatric history treatment; nevertheless, the psychological problem might have developed due to the frustrations that this lady underwent while growing up. Based on her behavior, it might be clear that she is having some mental issues which might have been disturbing her for long.

Ms. G faced problems in her life especially after the death of her parents, and the situation was also made worse because she lacked parents who could have offered her parental love and care as well as guidance concerning the moral behaviors. She grew in a foster care after the death of her parents and based on the situations at the foster care, there are some traumatizing events and experiences for a human being and this majorly contributed to her mental condition.

Consequently, the life events and experiences following the death of her parents and that of foster care could have made Ms. G develop a mental disorder. Also, through her involvement in the odd occupations and staying with her boyfriends for the survival reasons, it might even be possible that she went through traumatized experiences due to the challenges she faced while living with her boyfriends. Ms. G was also involved in the drug dealings and this, therefore, implies that she might have developed the mental disorder as a result of the drug use.

Based on the report released by law enforcement officers, she was arrested when she was already intoxicated and had drugs. Based on the confirmation from her brother, she was involved in the selling of the drugs and this, therefore, means that the drugs could have taken a toll on her thus led to the impairments of her mental. The damage by the drug to her mental condition can be explained by the fact that she appeared to be hyperactive and paranoid.

Substance use history

It is clear from the confirmation of the police officers as well as the brother to the lady in the case scenario that she was involved in the use of the substance. Even though she was charged with burglary for having a neighbor's property, the law enforcement officers managed to discover that she was involved in the drug use. Based on the report released by law enforcement officers, Ms. G was found to be intoxicated. Further, this report reveals that her brother had confirmed that she was involved in the odd occupation and the selling of drugs.

Ms. G also was having some paranoid behaviors even though she had no history of mental illness. The confirmation by her brother that she was involved in the selling of the drugs seems to confirm the suspicion of the police officers since they were worried by the paranoid behavior which was exhibited by Ms. G. This, therefore, implies that one of the critical contributors into her current mental situation might have been due to the use of the drugs which took a toll on her leading to her mental impairment. The purpose of the drugs made her irritable, assaultive, irrational and being hyperactive especially when the officers approached her. The energy level of Ms. Being a lady was a worry to the officers because it was excessively high.

Medical History

Following the death of her parents and being left with her brother as the only family member, Ms. G and his brother were taken to foster care. I this foster care, they were being provided with temporary services by the State for children, and in this case, they lack their parents and could not live and depend on their own. In this particular place, they were to live with and looked by the family which is not their own. Ms. G has never had any mental health treatment, and this is according to the information which was revealed by her brother to the law enforcement officers. According to her, she has never had any history of treatment, and this is the reason why the police officers became more concerned about her mental condition to the extent of going ahead to look for her family member so that they can inquire about the past medical history especially on the psychiatric treatment. The information was vital since it was to help in determining the necessity of performing a forensic test so that a decision could be made on whether Ms. G was fit to stand a trial.

Objective Testing

There are many tests which can be done in this situation so that a clear indication concerning the mental health of Ms. G can be determined. The mental status examination involves looking at the speech, and in this case, the expression is defined in terms of whether it is rapid, slow, or ordinary. The process of how the statement is flowing throughout the interview process is evaluated to determine whether it is hesitant, stuttering rambling, or whether it has long paused. The clarity of the client is to observe whether it is clear, mumbling, or if it is incoherent.

Another test involves the substance abuse whereby the analysis of Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) is done. This test includes a one-page questionnaire which is used explicitly for the identification of whether the client has high substance dependence disorder. This test is taking 15 minutes on the individuals or groups. This test does not need the ability to read, but it can also be made more accessible by administering the questions. SASSI test is relied on since it offers a preliminary outcome and it is always used together with the laboratory procedures for the detection of the substance abuse for example in the laboratory testing of the urine (Wood, Anderson, Gillespie, & Alexander, 2018).

Another test falls in the category of the insanity or criminal responsibility, and it involves the use of Rogers Criminal Responsibility Assessment Scales (R-CRAS). This test is used in the assessment of the criminal liability, and it depends on the behavioral as well as the psychological variables which are the critical elements in the evaluation of the insanity during the crime. There is a quantification of the psychological variables through the use of forensic psychiatrist, and this is important in assessing the condition of the mind of the patient. This test is mainly aimed at looking at the level of the psychological impairment as well as the behavioral variables which can be used for the determination of the insanity (Glancy, 2015).

The second section of this test is involving providing a correct opinion based legal standards related to the criminal responsibility of the offender. The assessment of the liability using the R-CRAS test is based on the five scales, i.e., the reliability of the patient, organicity, cognitive control, the behavioral control, and the psychopathology.

Another test is involving the IQ cognitive functioning which is used for the testing of the forensic settings to find the possible avenues in the in the case on whether the defendant or the claimant is faking the mental illness. Another test is the projected personality which is usually done as per the reaction of the subject, and it helps in revealing the psychological status of the character.

Conclusions

Based on the case presented above, it is likely possible that Ms. G is unfit to stand the trial. Some factors prove the inability of Ms. G not to be put under trial. She has gone through traumatic events which have affected her mental conditions and one of them is being that she lost her parent while at a tender age and had to be taken to the foster care. The events experienced during her hustle, while in the foster care, and the pain of losing her parents has made her mental capacity of making a reasonable judgment to be affected. She has also been involved in the drug use thus leading to her mental impairments and this, therefore, means that she is unable to stand before a trial since she cannot understand everything in her case.

Recommendations

It is without a doubt that Ms. G is having some mental problems which makes her unsuitable to face a trial and respond to the discussions. Therefore, based on the outcome of the forensic tests as well as other analysis, it is essential that the court forgives her and not to allow her to face trial since she might have been involved in the criminal acts without her knowledge on the differences of being immoral and moral within the society due to poor upbringing. Referral is necessary to determine the ability of Ms. G to stand a trial. It is also required to take Ms. G to the rehabilitation center so that she might be provided with a psychiatric or a psychological counselor for her to have a full recovery and regain her mental conditions. It is also necessary to educate her on things which are wrong and against the law so that she can live peacefully within society. Emotional support should also be provided by her brother who is her only close relative.

February 8, 2019