The DSM-5 and Forensic Relationship Status: It’s Complicated

Psychologists who work in the civil forensic context are tasked with providing legal decision makers with sufficient valid and reliable data to aid them in deciding the penultimate question of whether the claimant has a psychological injury and whether that injury was the direct result of an event that preceded the injury. In May 2013, amidst a barrage of criticism from mental health professionals, the American Psychiatric Association released the long awaited fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), oft referred to in legal and non-psychiatric contexts as the gold standard or bible of psychiatric disorders. Previous editions of the DSM have traditionally acknowledged the inadequacy of fit between the DSM and forensic environments. In its most current iteration, DSM-5 framers underscore the DSM’s utility in clinical and research settings, while also highlighting the level of forensic review that occurred in the vetting of DSM-5. Notwithstanding, (a) the vetting among forensic professionals and (b) the framers contention that the diagnostic categories are “concise and explicit,” the DSM-5 diagnostic categories, while perhaps fitting for the educational, clinical, and research contexts, just as its predecessors, are likely to lead to unexpected consequences in forensic contexts. Thus, it is incumbent upon psychologists serving as experts in civil forensic contexts to ensure that their findings are supported by data that are sufficiently reliable and based on sound methodology.     

Just work it out amongst yourselves: the implications of the private mediation of religious freedom

In its much-heralded report of 2008, the Bouchard-Taylor Commission struck by the Quebec government divided the resolution of contests involving religion-based claims into two realms: those which are solved in the courts and before human rights tribunals and therefore enter into formal determinations based on ‘reasonable accommodation’ and those disputes which are settled in private, with the guiding principle being responsabilisation dans la sphère privée' or ‘concerted adjustment’. In the report it is clear that the Commission prefers the second alternative for the resolution of disputes or disagreements about such things as prayer space, kirpans in schoolyards, serving pork at maple sugar farms, and religious needs in employment contexts. In this article I argue that encouraging the private resolution of issues around religious freedom, particularly in a social, legal and political climate in which there is fear and anxiety about the religious other, is an alternative that renders already vulnerable groups and individuals even more vulnerable. This in turn contributes to a situation in which they risk being oppressed and disadvantaged in a society which promises equality. Such a situation can create tension which could easily have been avoided if clear guidelines based on a beginning place of citizen equality were publicly and clearly stated by legal and political institutions.     

Serotonin: What role has it in the making of a “Rotten apple”

Summary It has been suggested that social feedback causes increases and decreases in serotonin levels. This constant variation determines and individual’s current level of self-esteem. Increases in serotonin have been associated with a rise in an individual’s expectations and drive to achieve success. On the other hand, a lowered level of serotonin may cause an individual to act out inappropriately and to have a lowered expectation of themselves. When the serotonin level functions as it should, it allows individuals to cope in difficult situations and excel in positive endeavors. Some with low serotonin levels seek out alcohol or other drugs to temporarily raise serotonin levels to achieve the felling of euphoria and well-being but this is only temporary. This could explain how some people become psychologically addicted when they fell they need assistance to maintain the felling that all is well.     

The content of suicide notes from attempters and completers

A study of the content of suicide notes from attempted suicides and completed suicides was conducted using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) text analysis program. Notes from completed suicides had fewer metaphysical references, more future tense verbs, more social references (to others) and more positive emotions than did the notes from attempted suicides. The implications of these results were discussed.     

The parental problem-solving measure: Further evaluation with maltreating and nonmaltreating parents

Inability to solve problems related to parenting and other aspects of daily living is hypothesized to result in frustration or inability to cope, and contribute to the occurrence of problematic parental behavior such as physical abuse or neglect. The present investigation evaluated the Parental Problem-Solving Measure (PPSM), a procedure for measuring parental problem-solving skill of maltreating and nonmaltreating parents. Subjects were 60 parents with at least one child between the ages of 2 and 12. Subjects belonged to one of three groups: (a) physically abusive and/or neglectful parents (n=27); (b) nonmaltreating clinic parents seeking help for child behavior problems (n=12); and (c) nonmaltreating, non-help-seeking community parents (n=21). Results demonstrated the interrater reliability, internal consistency, and temporal stability of the PPSM and its five subscales. Support is also provided for the convergent and discriminant validity of the measure.     

An Exploratory Study of Youth Mentoring in an Urban Context: Adolescents' Perceptions of Relationship Styles

The goal of this study was to empirically distinguish a range of mentor relationships and to evaluate their differential influence on adolescent outcomes. The study makes use of data that were collected as part of a national evaluation of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. The evaluation included 1138 youth, ranging in age from 10 through 16 (M=12.25), who were assigned randomly to either a mentoring relationship or a control group and followed for 18 months. A series of analyses, based on the matched youth's accounts of the relationships, suggested 4 distinct types of relationships (i.e., moderate, unconditionally supportive, active, and low-key). The 4 groups tended to distinguish themselves from one another on the basis of perceived support, structure, and activity. Relative to the controls, youth who characterized their mentor relationships as providing moderate levels of both activity and structure and conditional support derived the largest number of benefits from the relationships. These included improvements in social, psychological, and academic outcomes. Implications of the findings for research and intervention are discussed.     

Rapid STR analysis of single source DNA samples in 2 h

The establishment of offender DNA databases is critical to future crime prevention. Many countries have established databases or are in the process of passing database legislation. With new legislation the number of samples that will be collected could begin to exceed the testing capacity of many labs leading to backlogs.Two bottlenecks in the workflow that can contribute to a backlog of samples are DNA purification and PCR cycling time. The average purification time is approximately 2 h and the average cycling time of current STR kits is approximately 3 h. To address the second problem we investigated alternative DNA enzymes to decrease PCR cycling time. It was necessary to balance the increase in time to result against the need to address factors which can impact interpretation of a DNA profile such as: generation of stutter products, non-template addition, intra-locus balance, accuracy, and species specificity.Initial feasibility studies demonstrate that alternative enzymes can decrease PCR cycling time. The data show that this assay can increase throughput, providing results in less than 2 h. However, decreasing PCR cycling time will have an affect on multiplex STR performance.