Psychiatric Report, The

Description:
The written report is central to the practice of psychiatry in legal settings. It is required of mental health professionals acting as expert witnesses in criminal cases, civil litigation situations, child custody proceedings and risk assessments. This book provides a theoretical background to psychiatric writing for the law and a practical guide to the preparation of the report. The first section addresses practical and ethical concerns, including the conduct of the forensic psychiatric evaluation, conflicts of interest, record keeping and confidentiality. The second section contains practical and detailed advice on preparing various types of report, including reports for use in criminal and civil litigation, civil commitment hearings and child custody proceedings. A final section covers special issues arising during report preparation including the use of psychological tests and the detection of malingering. This is an essential guide for anyone required to write a psychiatric report.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Foreword Paul S. Appelbaum; Introduction Michael A. Norko and Alec Buchanan; Part I. Principles of Writing: 1. History and function of the psychiatric report Kenneth J. Weiss, Robert M. Wettstein, Robert L. Sadoff, J. Arturo Silva and Michael A. Norko; 2. Preparation Cheryl Wills; 3. Confidentiality and record keeping Howard Zonana; 4. Ethics Richard Martinez and Philip J. Candilis; 5. Writing a narrative Ezra E. H. Griffith, Aleksandra Stankovic and Madelon V. Baranoski; 6. Draftsmanship Phillip J. Resnick and Sherif Soliman; Part II. Structure and Content: 7. Report structure Alec Buchanan and Michael A. Norko; 8. Criminal litigation J. Richard Ciccone and Josh Jones; 9. Civil litigation Patricia Ryan Recupero and Marilyn Price; 10. Civil and sex-offender commitment Debra A. Pinals, Graham D. Glancy and Li-Wen Grace Lee; 11. Competency to practice and licensing Jeffrey S. Janofsky; 12. Child custody Peter Ash; 13. Employment: disability and fitness Robert P. Granacher, Jr.; Part III. Special Issues: 14. Writing for US federal courts Sally Johnson; 15. Incorporating psychological testing Madelon V. Baranoski; 16. Reasonable medical certainty Gregory B. Leong, J. Arturo Silva and Robert Weinstock; 17. Violence risk assessment Alec Buchanan and Michael A. Norko; 18. Malingering Charles Scott and Barbara McDermott; 19. Psychiatry and ethics in UK criminal sentencing John O'Grady; 20. Conclusion Alec Buchanan and Michael A. Norko; Index.

Author Biography:
Alec Buchanan is Professor, Division of Law and Psychiatry, Yale University Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA. Michael A. Norko is Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Law and Psychiatry, Yale University Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.