Psychology (Criminology - Forensic Case formulation)

Question 1

What is Forensic Case Formulation?

Answer 1

Is the process of gathering and integrating diverse information to develop a concise account of the nature and etiology of the problems affecting a person’s mental health, and to guide idiographic treatment design (humanistic / individualistic approach) and other decision making.

Formulation must be abstract, precise and systematic.

Question 2

inferential principle

Answer 2

Some approaches go beyond mere description, statement of facts, or classification to make predictions and provide an explanation or justification for those predictions. Formulating in mental health is best conceptualised as a form of abductive inference (It starts with an observation or set of observations and then seeks the simplest and most likely conclusion from the observations. This process, unlike deductive reasoning, yields a plausible conclusion but does not positively verify it.) Deductive reasoning is impossible in mental health as you simply cannot yield a correct inference about something within a domain that doesn’t have any natural laws. We cannot make precise predictions about what will happen to patients in the future (as it is not in our control to) or, with certainty, calculate which treatments will be most effective for them.

Two important aspects of abduction: First, the best explanation is only one of many possible explanations of a given set of observations; and second, it may be superior to others, yet may not be completely, ultimately, or fundamentally correct.

Question 3

Action-oriented principle

Answer 3

The purpose of formulation is to assist the mental health professional to develop an overall understanding of a patient’s problems, prioritize treatment issues and problems, from that; plan general treatment strategies and select specific interventions, anticipate the patients responses to strategies and interventions, evaluate treatment progress, and enhance the therapeutic relationship. Formulation might be particularly important for patients who do not respond to diagnosis-based treatment, whose presenting problems are complex, or who pose a threat of harm to themselves or toward others. In such cases, formulation helps by practitioners or courts being in consensus with each other or starting a collaborative engagement regarding how best to proceed.

Question 4

Theory-driven principle

Answer 4

Each different theoretical approach predetermines which target behaviours, variables, and treatments are legitimate, as well what constitutes a valid explanation. Other approaches even follow a completely different path and may be characterized as eclectic (deriving ideas or concepts from a diverse range of sources).

Question 5

Individualized principle

Answer 5

Formulation must be idiographic, otherwise it will not be relevant to the individual, but merely a restatement of nature, and the etiology of problems experienced by the patient / offender.

Question 6

Diachronic / Synchronic principle

Answer 6

Synchronic = Information from a specific moment in time / time period

Diachronic = Gathering information by looking at multiple time frames.

Question 7

Testable principle

Answer 7

A good clinician should be able to predict. Formulation is by design both testable and intended to be tested.