There are two answers to this question, Yes and No!
When taking a test there are a number of things which can adversely affect the result of the test. One of these is the suitability of the person to take a polygraph examination. If someone is not honest about their physical or mental health this can adversely affect the test in some circumstances. During the polygraph examination the examiner is simply collecting physiological data from the person taking the test. Therefore, anything which affects us physiologically has the potential to affect the test.
Consequently, it is important that the examinee does not have any health condition which are unstable. This is regardless of whether they are taking prescribed medication or not: otherwise they could be wasting their money!
Examinee’s can take an almost simplistic approach:
They believe because they are not lying they will pass the test regardless – and therefore nothing else is a factor. This mindset is to the detriment of advice given by the examiner. In this business Lie Detector Ireland, we speak to everyone looking to make a booking to assess their suitability, this is done before any payment is made. The potential examinee has to answer questions regarding their general health to establish if there any physical or mental health conditions which would make them an unsuitable candidate for a test.
They also have to complete a medical questionnaire prior to the commencement of the examination process. These questions are asked for a reason and it is important that the person taking the test is completely honest.
However, there are situations where someone is desperate to take a test and clear their name:
This results in them not being honest about their mental health – because in their mind they are telling the truth and believe therefore they will pass the test regardless. They are likely to be in a hopeless situation which is causing them an enormous amount of stress and believe passing a test will resolve the situation and consequently have a positive effect on their mental health. They (correctly) believe that the examiner will not conduct a test if they are truthful about their poor mental health. This causes them in their desperation to be less than honest with the examiner about their mental health.
What they may not realise is that our examiners do not want to conduct tests on people that are unsuitable candidates because they are likely to fail EVEN if they are being truthful. If the person is unable to follow the instructions given during the collection of data phase of the process, they will not pass. In these circumstances, the outcome is likely to have a harmful effect on that persons mental health.
Polygraph test businesses earn income by conducting tests:
They do not make money by turning down appointments. Therefore, if you are advised you are not a suitable candidate for taking a test, the examiner has good reason to do this and is behaving in a professional and ethical manner. Most people want to get a polygraph examination over and done with as quickly as possible. However, no-one wants to take a test and fail when they are telling the truth.
So it is important to heed the advice given and take the steps needed to become a suitable candidate with a view to taking a test in the future and achieving a much more favourable outcome.
All our examiners have extensive experience and are members of many professional associations including the American Polygraph Association.
Contact us here via our contact page. Or email: info@liedetector.ie