test whilst uner medication

[syd123]

I recently undertook a Polygraph test in California and performed poorly.

For the 4 weeks priot to the test I was taking prescribed medication for depression and just happened to stop taking the medication 3 days before the test.

The examiner never asked me about whether taking medication was appropriate or not, but I read in articles that its not such a good combination and not the right timing.

Is there anyone who can advise me whether such medication could have impacted my ability in taking the test, or what should I have done.

thanks

[nomegusto]

Told the examiner before you took the test.

[syd123]

The examiner never explained the implications of doing such a test whilst under medication.

So my question is whether having taken such medication impacts one's ability to take such a test satisfactorily.

Can anyone answer this please ?

[Twoblock]

syd123

This question has come up here before, therefore you may get a mixed bag of coments as was before. One polygrapher said he would never test a subject that was on psychotropic meds. Others say they can test around them. I have a psychiatrist friend and he says this kind of test should not be administered for at least two weeks after the meds are stopped.

You should have told the polyghapher that you were taking psychotropic meds and then, if you fail, you would have recourse.

[syd123]

Thanks for the insight.

I was on anti-depressant drugs for 4 weeks beforehand and stopped 3 days before the test. The Examiner asked me if I was presently taking any drugs to which I replied no. There was never any questions about if I had been on any drugs at all. Then when I started to look at information online I got a clearer picture that the test should not have gone ahead.

Should I go back to the examiner and tell him this now ? Or are there any other suggested corses of action. Maybe I ask the American Polygraph Organisation and file a complaint ?

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

[Twoblock]

syd123

Then the polygrapher did what he was supposed to do. The problem is you said no.

The only suggestion that I can make is, go back to your mental health provider and get a letter proving you were on anti-depressant meds and show it to the polygrapher. The call is his whether to reexamine you or not.

[Barry_C]

If you underwent a CQT, then the drug would have had to have only had an effect on the relevant questions to be a problem.  

Why did you stop taking the drug?  Most people are on anti-depressants for a while once they start.  Were you depressed when during the exam?

[syd123]

Thyanks for helping.

Let me clarify. The exaiminer asked if I was taking any medications at that time and I wasn't.

I was for the previous 4 1/2 weeks due to severe emotional issues around a relationship.

I have the prescription information that shows the medication I was taking, and can easily get a leter from that initially prescribed this.

So with that, should I go back tot he examiner or elsewhere to get this mater resolved ?

[Barry_C]

Well, what does "performed poorly" mean?

[George W. Maschke]

I recently undertook a Polygraph test in California and performed poorly.

For the 4 weeks priot to the test I was taking prescribed medication for depression and just happened to stop taking the medication 3 days before the test.

The examiner never asked me about whether taking medication was appropriate or not, but I read in articles that its not such a good combination and not the right timing.

Is there anyone who can advise me whether such medication could have impacted my ability in taking the test, or what should I have done.

thanks

syd123,

There are no studies on the effects of any medical conditions or medications on polygraph "tests." More importantly, polygraphy has not been proven to reliably discriminate between truth-telling and deception in persons without any chronic or acute medical conditions.

Polygraph "testing" has no scientific basis and is inherently biased against truth-tellers. See The Lie Behind the Lie Detector for a thorough debunking.

[Barry_C]

Again, read Offe and Offe or even your venerated NAS report to see that's wrong.

[syd123]

Thanks Barry with those suggestions.

Could you point me a bit further towards how I can get access to  those sources of information.

Much appreciated

[syd123]

What is the NAS report ?

[Jesper Paten]

What is the NAS report ?

Sir,
The NAS report is a publication, following extensive scientific research into the accuracy, or more accurately, the inaccuracy of polygrapf.
Summarily, it should dismiss the polygrapf as an unreliable lie-detector. Also that all polygrapf research at that time (circa 2003) was biased, unscientific und unreliable witchcraft.
The report is titled: The Polygrapf and Lie Detection.
You can get it on Googel.

Respectfully,
JP

[skip.webb]

First to Mr. Mascke:  Sir, you mislead "Syd123" by saying there are no studies on the effects of various drugs and the accuracy of polygraph and that there are no studies on the use of polygraph and medical conditions.  In fact there are numerous studies on each.  As early as 1965, Published in The National Institute of Police Science (Japan) "The effect of Tranquilizers on Polygraph Tests" reports a study in which participants were given both stimulants and anti-depressants/anti-anxiety drugs as well as a control group who were given a placebo.  No significant differences in classifications were noted except those on tranquilizers showed stronger reactions (quite the opposite that one might expect.  

There have been studies on beta blockers, on  valium and methylphenidate with a result of no effect on identification rates with much higher than chance identification (100% on truthful and 88% on guilty) by Iacono, Boisvenu &Fleming in 1984.

Studies have been accomplished on diagnosed sociopaths and confirmed non-sociopath subjects in a prison with excellent identification results.  

As early as 1962, Heckel, Brokaw, Salzberg and Wiggens tested non delusional psychoneurotic subjects against non-neurotic subjects with excellent results with 100% identification rate detection of "normals" and 87.5% on the neurotic group.

To "Jesper Paten": You sir have mislead Syd123 by telling him that the NAS study was a report following "extensive research into the accuracy of polygraph testing."  The truth sir is that the NAS group conducted absolutely no scientific research at all.  They merely evaluated a select sub-group of less that 100 previously conducted studies of polygraph and provided an evaluation of those selected studies.

To Syd123:  Some of the people on this forum tend to paint with a very wide brush and throw out often unsupported and sometimes totally inaccurate statements and opinions.  I hope that you will take what you read here and form an educated opinion on your own as education, unfortunately is often lacking here as emotions and virulent dribble tend to fill up all the available space.