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Predicting Firearms Performance Based on Psychiatric Symptoms and Medication Usage

Health care providers may be asked to make recommendations whether individuals with a mental health history and/or are taking psychiatric medication should have access to firearms as part of their work. For example, in the military, some instructions require a waiver from a medical provider for those individuals taking a psychiatric medication to be able to continue carrying a weapon. There is currently little data or established protocols to help objectively guide such recommendations. This study examined the reliability and validity of using a video game simulation of firearms performance and examined variables that might predict such performance. Participants were asked questions about demographics, psychiatric symptoms, and usage of psychiatric medication. They then took a computerized neuropsychological battery and were observed in a video game simulation of firearms performance. Data were examined for relationships among measures of test−retest stability over 1 month, and models were constructed to predict performance. Results showed that most aspects of firearms performance were found to be a reasonably stable construct with good relationships to established neuropsychological measures. When predicting who would perform more poorly on the firearms simulations, performance on the neuropsychological battery was a significant predictor. Being on psychiatric medication had a small but significant effect on one aspect of firearms performance. This study provides a first step in providing a more objective means of guiding medical recommendations about firearms.