Richard Rosner

As President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), it is a pleasure to write this foreword. Dr. Richard Rosner deserves full credit for helping AAPL pursue its educational goals by publishing a series of books. Consumerism and the civil rights movement have dramatically changed the practice of American psychiatry over the last 2 decades. Extensive legal regulation now makes it necessary for both general and forensic psychiatrists to keep abreast of changing laws. The contents of Volume II of Critical Issues in American Psychiatry and the Law demonstrate Dr. Rosner's gift for selecting and editing important theoretical and practical articles. This volume addresses a broad range of forensic issues. The pen dulum-like swings of laws regarding civil commitment and insanity are clearly illuminated by Dr. Quen's contribution, "Violence, Psychiatry, and the Law." A review of historical psychiatric testimony supporting insanity defenses on the bases of homicidal mania, moral insanity, and phrenological evidence should make modern forensic psychiatrists hum ble. However, some of our colleagues continue to testify that defendants were unable to refrain from criminal conduct because of CT evidence of schizophrenia, pathological gambling, or the effects of junk food. Excellent theoretical discussions are presented by Dr. Macklin ("A Philosophical Perspective on Ethics and Forensic Psychiatry") and Mr. Hughes ("Legal Aspects of Predicting Dangerousness"). These chapters present thorough, up-to-date, scholarly analyses of complex issues from the vantage point of non psychiatrists.

Critical Issues in American Psychiatry and the Law

Harold I. Schwartz

I am not sure when a series of volumes becomes an "institution"; this is the fourth annual volume of Critical Issues in American Psychiatry and the Law, and each has been an extraordinary summary of important forensic topics. This book makes the point that the interface of psychiatry and law is not merely a legal one, but has a great deal to do with clinical issues such as diagnosis and treatment. Children and adolescents are not adults. This may come as something of a shock to those who proselytize for equal rights for children, and to those adults (including some psychiatrists, attorneys, and judges) who advocate giving the child adult choices and/or responsibilities. Children differ from adults in many ways. The specialist in child or adoles cent psychiatry knows not only that one must attend to special social and family issues for juveniles, but that juveniles are more complex internally as well. They attempt to survive in the world while rapidly growing and learning, usually with physically and emotionally immature resources. They have had few years in which to develop experience, and do not have the psyche with which to integrate that experience in ways one would expect of a mature adult. Sometimes this frightens the patient, as in the case of a physically large teen ager whose impulse control is impaired. Sometimes it is frustrating, as in the case of a healthy child unable to escape from a dysfunctioning family. It is always confusing, and usually uncomfortable.

Juvenile Psychiatry and the Law

Charles Scott

The third edition of this award-winning textbook has been revised and thoroughly updated. Building on the success of the previous editions, it continues to address the history and practice of forensic psychiatry, legal regulation of the practice of psychiatry, forensic evaluation and treatment, psychiatry in relation to civil law, criminal law and family law, as well as correctional forensic psychiatry. New chapters address changes in the assessment and treatment of aggression and violence as well as psychological and neuroimaging assessments.

Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry

Edited by members of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry, this is a practical guide to the management of an adolescent drug use and addiction. It provides the knowledge and tools for successful prevention and intervention efforts in adolescents. The handbook is organized in a user-friendly format so that readers can easily locate the information that is required.

Clinical Handbook of Adolescent Addiction

The second edition of this award-winning textbook has been thoroughly revised and updated throughout. Building on the success of the first edition, the book continues to address the History and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry, Legal Regulation of the Practice of Psychiatry, Psychiatry in relation to Civil Law, Criminal Law, and Family Law. Important sections such as Special Issues in Forensic Psychiatry, Law and the Legal System, and Landmark Cases in Mental Health Law are included. Designed to meet the needs of practitioners of forensic psychiatry, for residents in forensic psychiatry, and those preparing for the specialty examination in Forensic Psychiatry of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, this volume will also answer the many questions faced by mental health professionals, mental health administrators, correctional health professionals and correctional health administrators, attorneys, judges, probation and parole officers and administrators all of whom, at one time or another, require a substantive presentation of the entire field of forensic psychiatry in the USA.

Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry, 2Ed

Ronnie B. Harmon

During the 1980s, those of us who were involved in forensic psychiatry have seen an increase in the interest in our subspecialty. This increased interest has been from psychiatrists, lawyers, judges, and correctional officials as well. As a part of this demand for our services, there has also been an increase in the demand for detailed quality in our reports and testimony. Whether this is the result of the educational efforts of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the establishment of the American Board of Forensic Psychiatry, the stimulation of thought by the publication of this series, Critical Issues in American Psychiatry and the Law, or Supreme Court decisions such as Ake v Oklahoma is anybody's guess. My experience as an observer of the development of the patient's rights movement was that there was a coalescence of numerous forces, such as the new human rights movement, the active mental health bar, and the development of neuroleptics. I therefore suspect that there are a multitude of factors contributing to the new interest in forensic psychia try and the elevation of the standards of forensic experts. Regardless of the causes, those who are practicing forensic psychiatry today are ex pected to conduct more thorough evaluations and to report findings more completely. No longer will simple conclusory statements be accept able. The forensic psychiatrist is expected to present data in a clear, understandable, detailed, reliable, and competent fashion whether testi fying or in a report.

Richard Rosner

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