TY - JOUR
T1 - Posttraumatic stress disorder as an insanity defense
T2 - Medicolegal quicksand
AU - Sparr, L. F.
AU - Atkinson, R. M.
PY - 1986
Y1 - 1986
N2 - A growing awareness of posttraumatic stress disorder has led to recent use of the disorder as a legal defense against criminal responsibility for both violent and nonviolent crimes. Diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder is difficult because the symptoms are mostly subjective, often nonspecific, usually well publicized, and, therefore, relatively easy to imitate. Accurate psychiatric testimony in such cases requires diligent seaching for collateral sources of information. The authors argue that the insanity defense is appropriate only in the rare instance that a dissociative episode related to posttraumatic stress disorder directly leads to criminal activity.
AB - A growing awareness of posttraumatic stress disorder has led to recent use of the disorder as a legal defense against criminal responsibility for both violent and nonviolent crimes. Diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder is difficult because the symptoms are mostly subjective, often nonspecific, usually well publicized, and, therefore, relatively easy to imitate. Accurate psychiatric testimony in such cases requires diligent seaching for collateral sources of information. The authors argue that the insanity defense is appropriate only in the rare instance that a dissociative episode related to posttraumatic stress disorder directly leads to criminal activity.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0022609063&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0022609063&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1176/ajp.143.5.608
DO - 10.1176/ajp.143.5.608
M3 - Article
C2 - 3963248
AN - SCOPUS:0022609063
SN - 0002-953X
VL - 143
SP - 608
EP - 613
JO - American Journal of Psychiatry
JF - American Journal of Psychiatry
IS - 5
ER -