Forensic Psychiatry

Although a majority of states still permit capital punishment, this may not represent the true national mood: many of these states have not had an execution in more than 10 years.

After lounging on the doorstep of respectability for the past decade, assisted outpatient treatment is here to stay. But some still balk at the notion.

Strong evidence supports sound arguments on each side of 3 debates covered here-so get in there and fight nice.

Here: common misconceptions about assisted outpatient treatment--and how this tool can help selected mentally ill patients who are most difficult to treat.

The authors examine legal and ethical challenges for the psychiatrist when a defendant who is incompetent to stand trial declines to take prescribed psychotropic medication.

When clinicians work without ready access to a security team or environmental safety protocols, early recognition is crucial to preventing or avoiding those rare occasions when behavior problems escalate.

Which patients are at greatest risk for premature death following discharge?

The points summarized in this pocket guide-drawn from actual cases-recur repeatedly as problems for practitioners.

Strategies to reduce aggression in psychiatric treatment settings.

The authors review the association between depression and violence, and the role that anger and emotional dysregulation play.

There is no predictive tool that is likely to have validity for rare outcomes such as terrorist attacks. More here.

Here's compelling reason for judicious use of restraint and seclusion, and a review of various alternative approaches.

In this Letter to the Editor, practicing psychiatrist Richard Krugley, MD makes the case against the term "assisted suicide" when applied to terminally ill patients. Drs. Pies and Geppert respond.

Here's a review of a book about involuntary psychiatric commitment-- a major source of controversy when the public tries to understand who psychiatrists are and what we do.

When a psychiatrist evaluates a patient, there is much to be valued in trying to adopt the patient’s internal perspective of cultural mores and world views. But what are the limits to cultural sensitivity?

Here: a review of issues related to assessment of patients for suicide risk in the ED -- and an overview of emerging approaches and research that one day will lead to more reliable assessment and interventions based more on science than on art or luck.

The public has questioned the wisdom of a judge to release a psychiatric inpatient, but not just any patient. Enter our metaphoric haunted house at your own risk.

Medical, psychiatric, and/or developmental disorders can be falsified in a variety of ways. Know the warning signs often missed by clinicians.

Let us consider the case of a "bad" psychiatrist to serve as a warning of where we can go wrong.

What policy prescriptions, if any, would you make on a federal level for reducing gun violence in America? That question and more answered.

Individuals with serious mental illness are responsible for more than 7% of the nation’s homicides. What can be done to reduce this deadly phenomenon?

“Once a pedophile always a pedophile” is so 30 years ago. The author updates the realities about sex offenders and why psychiatrists should be more optimistic about their patients’ prognoses.

After serving 18 years for sexual assault and attempted murder, new DNA procedures led to Steven Avery's exoneration. Surely, he must be guilty of something.

The current shortage of psychiatric beds in the US is a major problem. Patients are discharged prematurely and often have to be readmitted or end up homeless or incarcerated.

There is a lot to think about when starting a private practice-and yet more to consider when embarking on a forensic psychiatry practice. A review of a classic book that written by a giant in the field.

Gun violence by alienated, disgruntled individuals isn't new. So what changes may help account for our recent spate of mass shootings?

This article reviews the different categories of elder abuse, emphasizing the role and requirements for psychiatrists, with a focus on financial elder abuse.

Nearly half of children who present to emergency departments with self-harm receive no mental health assessment. What are the essential elements needed to interview children and adolescents in the context of a psychiatric emergency?

Jails have a much higher percentage of homeless mentally ill than does the general community, and those with psychiatric disorders (eg, schizophrenia) must often fend for themselves. Here are some solutions.

Currently, 1 in 15 youths undergoing psychiatric evaluation in the emergency department is restrained. This article covers diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that can reduce fear and put the young patient on a path to recovery.