Description:
This presentation will provide examples of the misapplication of psychological testing in Black people. The developers of some psychological tests and the practitioners who administer them are typically not trained psychometricians. Consequently, some tests have not been published in peer-reviewed journals, have not been normed for the subjects tested either by age, race, or gender, and therefore are not valid. Despite this, the tests may serve a social function which makes them of more value than tests that have been validated; for example, mass incarceration or the criminal justice system. It is therefore important to identify the origin of the test, whether the test has been peer-reviewed, validated and normed for the test subject. Also, the clinician should ensure that the test is serving the needs of the test subject rather than a social agenda. The consequences for the test subject span a broad area, from mass incarceration and potentially inappropriate psychological and pharmacological management.
Presenter:
Benjamin Roy, MD is President of the Black Psychiatrists of America. He received his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine and served his internship in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital and a psychiatry residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital, both in New York, NY. He then completed a clinical fellowship in neuropharmacology at the National Institute of Mental Health and in neuroimmunology at the National Institute of Neurological, Communicative Disorders and Stroke, NIH, both in Bethesda, MD. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Roy discovered human antibodies for endorphins and the opiate receptor in patients with psychiatric disorders and holds two US patents on methods of detecting certain antibodies in human body fluids. He has participated in numerous phase 2-4 clinical trials in neuropharmacology and neuroimmunology. He exposed the purpose of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment to develop syphilis diagnostic tests that were patented and commercialized.
Host:
Annelle Primm, M.D., MPH is the Senior Medical Director of the Steve Fund, an organization focused on the mental health of young people of color. She is also a member of the Black Psychiatrists of America Council of Elders.
Learning Objectives:
Who Should Attend?
Mental health professionals, mental health advocates, mental health caretakers
Certificates of attendance will be available to viewers of 50% (30 minutes) or more of the live webinar (via email within 30 business days post-event). The webinar slide presentation and recording will be posted to the website.