Opinion ID: 2973424
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Report of Psychologist McGinnis (Ph.D.)

Text: 7 GAF is a clinician’s subjective rating, on a scale of zero to 100, of an individual’s overall psychological functioning. At the low end, GAF 1-10 indicates “[p]ersistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g., recurrent violence) or persistent inability to maintain minimal personal hygiene or serious suicidal act with clear expectation of death.” DSM-IV-TR at 34 (boldface and capitalization omitted). At the high end, GAF 91-100 indicates “[s]uperior functioning in a wide range of activities, life’s problems never seem to get out of hand, is sought out by others because of his or her many positive qualities. No symptoms.” Id. (boldface omitted). A GAF score may help an ALJ assess mental RFC, but it is not raw medical data. Rather, it allows a mental health professional to turn medical signs and symptoms into a general assessment, understandable by a lay person, of an individual’s mental functioning. - 12 - No. 04-2171 Kornecky v. Comm’r of Soc. Sec. At the request of the state agency, psychologist Charles McGinnis, Ph.D., examined Kornecky in February 2001. Kornecky complained of anxiety and nervousness in stressful situations but said she got along “fine” with others and reported that she cleaned her house, crocheted, gardened, and watched TV. McGinnis described Kornecky as anxious and depressed, observing “pressured” speech and hand-wringing, but found no evidence of odd or illogical thoughts. Kornecky had good manners, was appropriately dressed, and evinced no delusional or psychotic thinking. McGinnis performed tests and found that Kornecky could repeat several numbers forwards and backwards, recall three objects after a lapse of time, identify several large cities and famous people, and perform a “serial-seven subtraction task” and other calculations largely correctly. McGinnis diagnosed GAD and assigned a GAF score of 50 to 55. A GAF of 51-60 indicates “[m]oderate symptoms (e.g., flat affect and circumstantial speech, occasional panic attacks), or moderate difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., few friends, conflicts with peers or co-workers).” DSM-IV-TR at 34 (capitalization and boldface omitted). GAF 41-50 indicates “serious symptoms (e.g., suicidal ideation, severe obsessional rituals, frequent shoplifting) or any serious impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (e.g., no friends, unable to keep a job).” Id. (capitalization and boldface omitted).