Forensic pitfalls

The lives of forensic psychiatrists are complicated and subject to stressful experiences because they have elected to interact with a social system very different from their own. This article presents discussion of these frequently troublesome areas commonly encountered by forensic psychiatrists in trying to respond to the law's requests and needs without sacrificing their medical integrity: (1) legitimate definition of expertise; (2) reasonable medical certainty; (3) generally accepted standard of care. They are explored with emphasis on the exercise of self-assessment by the involved forensic psychiatrists lest their incautious application of knowledge and expertise become pitfalls of their own making.