The legal system often struggles to define and manage mental illnesses in criminal cases, but personality disorders make the issue of definition and culpability even more complex.
Tag Archives: Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity
When Mental Illness & the Law Collide
Part 3: Criminal Responsibility (Insanity) The insanity defense has been plagued by myths and misunderstandings since its beginnings [2]. As introduced in Part 2, insanity is fundamentally different from competence in several ways. First, insanity claims are rare. The general public tends to believe the insanity defense is commonly used. This is due, in part,Continue reading “When Mental Illness & the Law Collide”
When Mental Illness & the Law Collide
Defendants may be suspected of having inadequate present knowledge of their legal cases. When this occurs, they require a formal evaluation that may render them incompetent or unfit to stand trial. This can be a complicated psycholegal issue that impacts more than just the defendant.
The Dangers of Misdiagnosing Mental Illness
Although diagnosing mental illness can be challenging, mental health clinicians too often make reckless misdiagnoses. The consequences of misdiagnosis are wide-ranging, all of which include poor outcomes for patients. Clinicians need to return to simple, ethical best practices to solve this prolific problem.
Rod E. Hoevet, Psy.D. 