Differences Between Malingered Voice-Hearing in Forensic and Clinical Settings
| Forensic | Clinical | |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Calls attention to voices initially, but vague, evasive, and inconsistent with detailed questioning | Calls attention to voices initially, but vague, evasive, and inconsistent with detailed questioning |
| Secondary gain | Exculpation from criminal charges | Obtaining services |
| Voice characteristics | “Atypical,” cartoonishly exaggerated | Overlapping with drug-induced symptoms or nonhallucinatory experiences such as depressive ruminations |
| Voice content | Commanding violence or other criminal behavior | Commanding suicide (less commonly with violence toward others) |
| Compliance | Claimed due to malingered delusions | Claimed due to mood-congruence |
| Clinical course | Persistent while still in a forensic setting | Voices and contingent claims of suicide resolve once services are obtained |