Landmark Cases in Forensic Psychiatry

by Elizabeth Ford, Merrill Rotter

Overview

Forensic psychiatry (the interface of psychiatry and the law), forensic psychology, and mental health law are growing and evolving subspecialties in their respective larger disciplines. Topics included in these fields include a range as diverse as capital sentencing guidelines, informed consent, and standards of care for mental health treatment. All of these topics need to be understood and mastered by clinicians, educators, administrators and attorneys working with psychiatric patients. This book brings together concise, comprehensive summaries of the most important "landmark" legal decisions relating to mental health practice in the United States. These decisions, along with their underlying reasonings, make up a critical portion of the national certification examination for forensic psychiatry offered by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). Many of the themes are also tested in the ABPN certification examination for general psychiatry. This book is the first to provide a combination of summaries of the relevant legal content paired with board-style test questions designed to help consolidate knowledge and prepare for certification. Cases with similar themes are grouped together with an eye toward helping the reader understand the evolution of legal and clinical thinking on a particular topic. This book represents an important addition to the study tools and textbooks available related to psychiatry and the law and will serve as a useful reference for clinicians who must follow established legal requirements in their field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199344673
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/27/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	710 KB

About the Author

Dr. Elizabeth Ford is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, is the Director of Bellevue Hospital's Forensic Psychiatry Division, and is the Training Director for the NYU Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship. She has been involved in clinical practice, research and education, both locally and nationally, in the field of forensic psychiatry since 2005. Merrill Rotter is a forensic psychiatrist working at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he is Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of Law and Psychiatry for the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Rotter received his B.A./M.D. from the Boston University Six-Year Combined Liberal Arts Medical Education Program. Trained in clinical psychiatry at Columbia and in forensic psychiatry at Yale, Dr. Rotter leads a program of teaching, research and clinical service for Einstein as well as the New York State Office of Mental Health. In his OMH role, Dr. Rotter is Director of the Division of Forensic Services at Bronx Psychiatric Center and Senior Consultant to the Division of Forensic Services. In addition, Dr. Rotter is the Medical Director of the EAC and its NYC TASC Mental Health Programs which provide mental health diversion services in Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Rockland County. He is Project Director of SPECTRM, a research, training and treatment program aimed at helping to meet the needs individuals with mental illness who have a history of incarceration.

Table of Contents

Section I: Mental Health Practice Guidelines Chapter 1: Confidentiality and Privilege/Shane Konrad&Eraka Bath Chapter 2: Informed Consent/Gregory Davis Chapter 3: Duty to Protect/Andrew Kopelman Chapter 4: Expert Testimony/Scott Soloway&Bryan Shelby Chapter 5: Questions on Mental Health Practice Guidelines Section II: Institutional Treatment Guidelines Chapter 6: Civil Commitment/Elizabeth Ford Chapter 7: Right to Die/Elizabeth Ford Chapter 8: Right to Treatment/Bipin Subedi Chapter 9: Right to Refuse Treatment/Rebecca Lewis Chapter 10: Questions on Institutional Treatment Guidelines Section III: Child and Adolescent Issues Chapter 11: Child Abuse Reporting/Shawn Sidhu&Eraka Bath Chapter 12: Child Custody&Parental Competencies/Eileen Ryan Chapter 13: Juvenile Rights/Eileen Ryan and Elizabeth Ford Chapter 14: Education for all Handicapped Persons Act/Shawn Sidhu Chapter 15: Questions on Child and Adolescent Issues Section IV: Tort Law Chapter 16: Disability/Howard Forman 3 Chapter 17: Emotional Harm/Amar Mehta Chapter 18: Health Insurance/Bryan Shelby, Merrill Rotter&Elizabeth Ford Chapter 19: Sexual Harassment/Andrew Levin&Merrill Rotter Chapter 20: Sex/Merrill Rotter Chapter 21: Questions on Tort Law Section V: Criminal Law and Incarceration Chapter 22: Criminal Procedure/Michael Greenspan, Amar Mehta and Merrill Rotter Chapter 23: Criminal Competencies/Matthew Grover Chapter 24: Diminished Capacity/Michael Greenspan Chapter 25: Insanity/Katya Frischer Chapter 26: Prisoners' Rights/Omar Khan, Rebecca Lewis&Bipin Subedi Chapter 27: Death Penalty /Tara Straka Chapter 28: Sex Offenders/Li-wen Lee Chapter 29: Questions on Criminal Law and Incarceration

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Steven T Herron, MD (CPI/Assurance Health and Wellness)
Description: This short work offers brief summaries of legal cases highlighted by American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) for their importance in the ever-changing landscape of medical and mental health treatment.
Purpose: Designed to consolidate landmark cases for easy access and quick review, this book attempts to address the main question answered by the various courts in these cases.
Audience: The authors "designed this book with forensic psychiatry and psychology trainees and practicing clinicians in mind," although it is relevant for anyone interested in gaining an appreciation of the development of specific rights within the healthcare system.
Features: Grouped into five sections that focus on "broad topic areas," the chapters concentrate on narrow ideas to delineate specific concepts important for a global understanding of the topic. For each landmark case, a web-based link is provided to the full text for more detailed investigation. Sections end with a series of 20 - 30 multiple choice questions followed by the correct answers and detailed reasoning for the choices.
Assessment: As a practicing forensic psychiatrist, I am familiar with the review course the authors mention and own the flashcards they refer to in the introduction. While this book had the potential for redundancy, it meets its goal, providing concise explanations and extensive resources for further exploration when needed. The questions are relevant and illustrate many of the vital concepts discussed in the case summaries. I imagine this book will become a favorite of those studying for the ABPN's Forensic Psychiatry Board Examination, but it will also be useful as a quick reference tool for forensic practitioners.

Doody's Review Service

This book provides trenchant, short summaries of Landmark cases that facilitate study for forensic psychiatry board exams.

Phillip J. Resnick, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University and Course Director, Forensic Psychiatry Review Course

"Drs. Ford, Rotter and their colleagues have assembled a supremely practical collection of summaries of landmark cases in law and psychiatry. Among the terrific features of this volume are links that enable readers to access each case online, and a set of questions after each section that tests understanding of the cases. Trainees in forensic psychiatry and psychology-as well as experienced practitioners seeking to refresh their knowledge-will find this book indispensable." — Paul S. Appelbaum, MD, Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine & Law, Columbia University

"This short work offers brief summaries of legal cases highlighted by American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) for their importance in the ever-changing landscape of medical and mental health treatment. The questions are relevant and illustrate many of the vital concepts discussed in the case summaries. I imagine this book will become a favorite of those studying for the ABPN's Forensic Psychiatry Board Examination, but it will also be useful as a quick reference tool for forensic practitioners." Weighted Numerical Score: 96 - 4 Stars! — Doody's Health Sciences Book Review

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