الفهرس يوجد فقط 14 صفحة متاحة للعرض العام
 |  | from | 146 |  |  |
| | | from | 146 | | |
المستخلص
Throughout history, there has been a change in how the society views the mentally ill. Holding them responsible for their wrongful acts has been an issue for a debate, whether from the social, legal or religious aspects.
The Islamic jurisdiction exempted them from punishment until they are competent again. However, the legal systems were not that merciful with them, which necessitated the development of a new science for delineating the responsibility of the mentally ill.
Although forensic psychiatry developed earlier, yet its importance was very eminent in M’Naghten trial, who murdered Edward Drummond, the British prime minister’s secretary. He had mistaken him for the prime minister. The jury’s verdict that M’Naghten was not guilty on the ground of insanity, resulted in a great debate. The judges of England were asked to clarify points of law raised by the trial, later known as M’Naghten rules.
M’Naghten rules stated that a person is not guilty by reason of insanity if a defect in reasoning existed at the time of the act to the extent that the person did not know the nature, quality &/or consequences of the act, or if that person was incapable of recognizing that the act was wrong.
Such a need for someone who has an adequate knowledge of the law and psychiatry resulted in the appearance of expert witnesses. An expert is a person with a high degree of skill or knowledge in a certain subject. An expert witness is someone who has been instructed to give or prepare evidence for the purpose of the court.
The expert witness is eventually asked for a report. However, non-forensic physicians may find themselves involved in legal issues. Writing a report about the patient’s condition could be asked from any physician, thereby, any psychiatrist or physician should have some knowledge about how to write a report and about their legal responsibilities.
A medicolegal report might be needed for different cases, for example; compensation, custody, insanity defense, etc.
Since forensic psychiatry is still a part of medicine, same ethical issues should be put in mind in forensic evaluations and writing a report. This include an informed consent, confidentiality, honesty and striving for objectivity.
To write a report, one should first decide if he should accept the case, then prepare for it. This includes gathering sufficient information before giving opinion. The report should include information about the expert, personal data of the patient, sources of information, times and dates of the interviews, further investigations and tests, the expert opinion, the expert signature and date of finishing the report.
Knowing the items of the report has become an essential knowledge for any physician in practice and to avoid any legal liability.
Aim of the Essay:
To highlight the fields as well as the importance of psychiatric reports
Discuss ethical issues that should be covered while providing a medicolegal report
To identify obstacles and common pitfalls in writing a medicolegal report.
To provide practical guidelines for writing a medicolegal report.