Abstract:
Forensic psychiatrists may be asked to opine on neurological evidence or neurological diseases outside the scope of their expertise. This article discusses the value of involving experts trained in behavioral neurology in such cases. First, we describe the field of behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry, the subspecialty available to both neurologists and psychiatrists focused on the behavioral, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric manifestations of neurological diseases. Next, we discuss the added value of behavioral neurologists in forensic cases, including assisting in the diagnostic evaluation for complex neuropsychiatric diseases, using expertise in localization to provide a strong scientific basis for linking neurodiagnostic testing to relevant neuropsychiatric symptoms, and assisting in relating these symptoms to the relevant legal question in cases where such symptoms may be less familiar to forensic psychiatrists, such as frontal lobe syndromes. We discuss approaches to integrating behavioral neurology with forensic psychiatry, highlighting the need for collaboration and mentorship between disciplines. Finally, we discuss several forensic cases highlighting the additional value of experts trained in behavioral neurology. We conclude that forensic psychiatrists should involve behavioral neurology experts when encountering neurological evidence that falls outside their scope of expertise, and the need for further cross-disciplinary collaboration and training.
摘要:
法医精神病医生可能会被要求在其专业知识范围之外对神经系统证据或神经系统疾病发表意见。本文讨论了在这种情况下,让受过行为神经病学培训的专家参与的价值。首先,我们描述了行为神经病学和神经精神病学领域,神经学家和精神病学家都可以使用的亚专业专注于行为,认知,和神经系统疾病的神经精神表现。接下来,我们讨论了行为神经学家在法医案件中的附加值,包括协助复杂神经精神疾病的诊断评估,利用本地化专业知识为将神经诊断测试与相关神经精神症状联系起来提供强有力的科学依据,并在法医精神病医生不太熟悉这些症状的情况下,协助将这些症状与相关法律问题联系起来,如额叶综合征。我们讨论了将行为神经病学与法医精神病学相结合的方法,强调学科之间合作和指导的必要性。最后,我们讨论了几个法医案例,突出了接受过行为神经病学培训的专家的附加价值。我们得出的结论是,当遇到超出其专业知识范围的神经学证据时,法医精神病学家应该让行为神经学专家参与进来,以及需要进一步的跨学科合作和培训。