Forensic Psychiatry

John C Gunn CBE FRCPsych FMedSci Member, Parole Board, England & Wales; Emeritus Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UKPamela J Taylor FRCPsych FMedSci Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, UK

"Though penned primarily for those with more advanced knowledge of forensic issues (including those practicing within the justice system), this work might prove useful for anyone interested in the various intriguing and complicated challenges in the subspecialty of forensic psychiatry."—Steven T. Herron, MD, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, USA" … a very comprehensive and thorough review of the whole field of forensic psychiatry. It is a book that every practicing forensic psychiatrist would benefit from having. There is no other textbook as comprehensive as this concerned with UK forensic psychiatry: subjects are covered in depth with a vast array of references and articles synthesised. By and large it’s accurate and up-to-date. It’s a real achievement … . Highly Commended."—2014 BMA Medical Book Awards

• Introduction. Criminal and civil law for the psychiatrist in England and Wales. Mental health and capacity laws including their administering bodies. Legal arrangements in the rest of the British Isles and Islands. Forensic psychiatry and its interfaces outside the UK and Ireland. Psychiatric reports for legal purposes in England and Wales. The psychosocial milieu of the offender. Genetic influences on antisocial behaviour, problem substance use and schizophrenia: evidence from quantitative genetic and molecular genetic studies. Violence. Disordered and offensive sexual behaviour. The majority of crime: theft, motoring and criminal damage (including arson). Disorders of brain structure and function and crime. Offenders with intellectual disabilities. Psychosis, violence and crime. Pathologies of passion and related antisocial behaviours. Personality disorders. Deception, dissociation and malingering. Addictions and dependencies: their association with offending. Juvenile offenders and adolescent psychiatry. Women as offenders. Older people and the criminal justice system. Dangerousness. Principles of treatment for the mentally disordered offender. Forensic mental health services in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Offenders and alleged offenders with mental disorder in non-medical settings. Ethics in forensic psychiatry. Deviant and sick medical staff. Victims and survivors. Appendices. Cases cited. References. Index.