Retrospective Assessment of Mental States in Litigation

Retrospective Assessment of Mental States in Litigation is an excellent collection. It is both theoretical and practical and will be of great value to forensic examiners and lawyers. Each chapter is pitched at a level that will be helpful to the seasoned investigator and to the novice. Many chapters give concrete advice about how best to perform an evaluation of a particular type. The book deserves a wide audience. Elyn R. Saks, J.D., and Stephen H. Behnke, J.D. Ph.D., The New England Journal of Medicine Retrospective Assessment of Mental States in Litigation should prove useful to the psychiatrist serving as expert witness. The chapters are well referenced. Parts of the book might be of interest to any psychiatrist, whereas other chapters are quite specialized. I found the discussion of research on memory and memory retrieval particularly interesting. Beatrice Kovasznay, M.D., M.P.H., Psychiatric Services Editors Simon and Shuman do an excellent job of explaining the complex, multifaceted issues surrounding retrospective psychological assessments... A vital resource for any forensics expert who testifies in court to understand lines of questioning by attorneys, as well as for psychological forensics experts who must perform retrospective psychological analyses. Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries With a goal of developing guidelines for more reliable evaluations of past mental states, this book is indispensable. It will enable clinicians, lawyers, and judges to better understand the complex and difficult process of retrospective reconstruction of mental states. William M. Regan, M.D., Journal of Clinical Psychiatry