2003 Manfred S. Guttmacher Award Honorable Mention

“Why did the defendant do it?”

Mental health professionals are asked to help courts answer this question. To serve justice, the law calls for evidence of the mental state at the time a crime is committed, of suicide intent in civil litigation, and of mental capacity in contract litigation. The law asks psychiatrists and psychologists to retrospectively determine mental states—a daunting task made even more difficult by the passage of time, the uncertain credibility of witnesses, the paucity of collateral sources of information, and often the death of the person in question.

This is the first book dedicated entirely to the retrospective assessment of mental states. This fascinating book explores the role of the psychiatrist and psychologist, as an expert witness in litigation, in rendering a retrospective judgment of an individual’s mental state. Distinguished contributors apply their expertise in psychiatry, psychology, and the law to address the problems of retrospective assessment. With the goal of developing guidelines for more accurate retrospective assessment of mental states, they present topics such as

• Guidelines for conducting retrospective assessments in children and adults
• Guidelines for the retrospective assessment without benefit of direct examination
• Assessments of suicide cases in both civil and criminal litigation
• Psychological testing and interviewing techniques that may assist in retrospective assessment
• Methods and analysis to help clinicians and attorneys critically evaluate the search for “truth” about the past.

This remarkable book will prove indispensable for helping clinicians, lawyers, and judges better understand the complex and difficult process of retrospective reconstruction of mental states.

Reviews
“Peering into the past through the psychiatric ‘retrospectoscope’ is an inescapable--though perilous—aspect of forensic assessment. This fascinating set of contributions offers many insights into the theoretical and practical dilemmas of the task. I doubt that anyone who reads it, no matter how experienced, will ever again evaluate past mental states in quite the same way.”—Paul S. Appelbaum, M.D., A.F. Zeleznik Professor & Chair of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

“This is a very timely and important book for those working in the field of forensic mental health . . . The reader is taken by some of the most experienced experts in the field to assessment of memory, the philosophy of retrospective assessment and the question of malingering . . . There appears to be a battle of the experts between the clinical experience and those utilizing research and scientific data when assessing memory and memory retrieval methods. The jury is still out about the validity of these methods and one should not take sides at present, but retain an open mind and a balanced view as is presented in this fine work.”—Robert L. Sadoff, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Center for Studies in Social-Legal Psychiatry, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Pennsylvania

“For those interested in a more in-depth look at forensic psychiatry or psychology, this book provides an excellent knowledge base. Yet, it is also an excellent reference for seasoned practitioners to refresh prior knowledge or gain a greater understanding of complex issues. Each chapter thoroughly addresses individual topics in a rational, well-thought out manner, and the areas discussed are both relevant and practical. In addition, the reference lists at the conclusion of each chapter are quite comprehensive.”—Steven T. Herron, M.D., Doody's Health Science Book Review Journal, August 2002