The Forensic Examination. A Handbook for the Mental Health Professional

Section I: Introductory concepts to the field

Chapter 1: Working on the borderline between law and mental health
Chapter 2: Bringing in legal terms of art to guide the mental health work
Chapter 3: Performing an IME: From initial contact to report preparation

Section II: A primer of forensic cases and reports

Chapter 4: Wrongful death: Medical malpractice and the suicide of a patient
Chapter 5: Assessing psychic damage: Pain and suffering
Chapter 6: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Chapter 7: Psychiatric disability examinations and worker's compensation
Chapter 8: Competency, testamentary capacity, and fitness assessments
Chapter 9: Violence risk assessment
Chapter 10: Insanity assessment: Not guilty by reason of insanity
Chapter 11: Diminished capacity
Chapter 12: Malingering
Chapter 13: Stalking
Chapter 14: Sexual Harassment
Chapter 15: Allegation assessment
Chapter 16: Discrimination based on sexual orientation

Appendix - Article VII: Federal rules of evidence, opinions, and expert testimony

This book prepares the mental health professional to use scientific skills when working within a legal framework. Written by a seasoned forensic psychiatrist with decades of experience and professional honors, this text answers some of the most challenging questions psychiatrists face when mental health intersects with the courtroom. The text is supported with 34 case vignettes that demonstrate ways in which seemingly simple diagnoses have unique layers of complexities that are vital within the legal system. The resource covers topics that may not be elucidated in medical schools, including what to expect from an expert witness, how to communicate with attorneys who lack a medical background, managing opposing viewpoints, psychiatric and medical malpractice, harassment, employment status, and other difficult topics as it pertains to the law. The text also knits this understanding of forensic psychiatry with clinical knowledge, addressing violence and risk assessment, discrimination, disability evaluation, psychiatric disorders, criminal and civil competence, end-of-life care and decisions, and a wide array of medical topics that have unique concerns when placed in the context of the legal system.

The Forensic Examination is a vital resource for psychiatrists, psychologists, criminal and civil defenders, and all professionals working with persons in the medicolegal system.

Alberto M. Goldwaser, MD, DLFAPA
Forensic Psychiatric Associates, LLC
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
NYU School of Medicine

Eric Luria Goldwaser, DO, PhD
University of Maryland Medical Center/Sheppard Pratt Health System
Department of Psychiatry