Prevalence and assessment of malingering in homicide defendants using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Rey 15-Item Memory Test

This study surveyed malingering prevalence in pretrial homicide defendants and assessed the usefulness of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Rey 15-Item Memory Test (FIT) in detecting malingering among them. Malingering prevalence was 17%. MMSE and FIT scores were positively correlated. The MMSE and FIT had modest positive predictive value (67% and 43%), but reasonably good negative predictive value (93% and 89%), for malingering. Overall, the MMSE outperformed the FIT, with no advantage to combined use of the MMSE and FIT over the MMSE. The widely used MMSE, traditionally a bedside test of cognition, may have a role in malingering assessment.