How Does Clinical Risk Assessment Differ from Actuarial Risk Assessment

Question

Examlex · Accepted Answer

The Answer is Main points:
• Clinical risk assessment relies on unstructured judgment and intuition of a psychologist or psychiatrist in predicting the risk of violence;
• Actuarial methods rely on statistical analysis of many variables that have been shown to predict violence when large groups of people were analyzed statistically;
• Actuarial predictors can be divided into three large groups: historical, or static, markers (age at first offense, criminal history, major mental disorder or personality disorder, etc.), dynamic markers (current impulsivity levels, taking and responding to medication, etc.), and risk management markers (living arrangements, current family situation, etc.).
Optional bonus point: Actuarial methods have been shown more accurate than clinical in predicting violence but juries and judges are more positively predisposed and receptive to clinical judgment.

How Does Clinical Risk Assessment Differ from Actuarial Risk Assessment

Definitions: