Malingering mental disorder on the Impact of Event Scale (IES): Toxic exposure and cancerphobia

Untrained volunteers instructed to fake psychopathology in a manner plausible for purposes of personal injury malingering did so at a level comparable to the average outpatient on the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Although not questioning the general research and clinical utility of the instrument, the author cautions IES users to employ the instrument circumspectly in contexts where deception is an issue, such as in litigation. For purposes of this study, subjects malingered psychological disturbance caused by exposure to a toxic substance from a hazardous waste site.