In disability examinations, benefits may depend on the findings of a psychological consultative examination (PCE), which in Louisiana usually involves a mental status examination and a Wechsler Scale. The disability determinations service (DDS) requires a warning that failure to do one's best may result in an unfavorable decision on the claim, but psychologists are officially discouraged from determining effort by the use of formal effort tests. Consequently, there is a need for internal indicators of effort. Formal testing of effort was undertaken in order to identify indicators of effort within the PCE in WAIS-age and WISC-age claimants. Our findings indicated that the total score of indicators was more predictive of effort than any single indicator. Regression equations yielded information on how much effort contributes to IQ. Classification accuracy for the new rating scale was described for a "dose-response" of effort. Disincentives for malingering detection in the PCE were identified.

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The impact of Hurricane Katrina on 4 senior New Orleans-based psychologists, both professionally and personally, is described. The authors are pediatric, adult, and family therapists and neuropsychologists; by employment, they are medical center academics, independent practitioners, administrators, and staff/consulting psychologists at medical and psychiatric hospitals. Their diverse experiences following Katrina are similar to the experiences of many individuals in the professional community of the Gulf Coast. In the face of the storm, they departed New Orleans and afterward returned at varying intervals. The homes of all of the 4 New Orleans authors were damaged or destroyed. All of their practice locations were closed for varying periods, and 2 were closed permanently. Of the 4 who returned to New Orleans, only 2 remained 18 months after the storm; the others had relocated to other states. This article reflects on their collective experience as mental health professionals living in New Orleans after Katrina and lessons learned from that experience.

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