DOJ-OGR-00006286.pdf

Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 424-3 Filed 11/08/21 Page 18 of 29 112 J. Engle and W. O'Donobue individuals, providing a novel and exciting environment that may be stimulating to a person who is histrionic. They may enjoy the large amounts of attention received for filing a sexual assault charge and for the "victim" role that can be played out in other relationships. In times when attention is not being received to the desired level, a false allegation of sexual assault may help to pull individuals with histrionic personality disorder out of their depressed state. The misperception that relationships are more intimate than they actually are may lead a person with histrionic personality disorder to misconstrue nonsexual interactions as events that are sexual in nature. For example, a person who is histrionic may, after a co-worker complements her clothing and accidentally bumps into her during the day, construe these actions as intentional communications of sexual interest. This misperception can lead her to feel that if the individual had touched her chest while bumping into her, it was an intentional action of unwanted assault. Thus, a pathway to false allegations of sexual assault may be through individuals with a diagnosis of histrionic personality disorder who for reasons of attention and misinterpretation may knowingly or unknowingly make a false allegation of sexual assault. Delirium According to the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, p. 136), delirium is a "disturbance of consciousness that is accompanied by a change in cognition that cannot be better accounted for by a preexisting or evolving dementia." Relevant to this pathway are the perceptual disturbances that may be present, including misinterpretations, illusions, or even hallucinations. Delirium may be caused by medical conditions, substance use, or withdrawal or may have multiple etiologies (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). An individual suffering from delirium is out of contact with reality and thus may make statements or allegations that are not veridical, including false allegations of sexual assault. In these circumstances, an individual with delirium may be under the care and protection of hospital staff, family members, friends, or even law enforcement. In such situations, caregivers may be in close physical proximity to the patient. The care provided could be construed as sexual, even though the care may have been nonsexual. Psychotic Disorders The term psychotic generally refers to conditions that are marked by delusions and hallucinations (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Psychotic disorders include the following: schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, brief psychotic disorder, shared DOJ-OGR-00006286