PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Stuart A. Anfang TI - Commentary: Disability Evaluations—Are the Evaluators Able? DP - 2011 Apr 01 TA - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online PG - 194--196 VI - 39 IP - 2 4099 - http://jaapl.org/content/39/2/194.short 4100 - http://jaapl.org/content/39/2/194.full SO - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2011 Apr 01; 39 AB - Disability assessments of patients are among the most common nontherapeutic evaluations requested of treating psychiatrists. Yet, there has been relatively little empirical analysis of how psychiatrists approach these evaluations in real clinical practice. Treating psychiatrists, those both with and without forensic expertise, struggle with the challenge of dual agency and overlapping therapeutic and forensic roles. Making the different roles clear to the patient can allow for more therapeutic exploration and alliance around further treatment goals, expectations, and interventions. Given the high prevalence of psychiatric disability and requested evaluations, psychiatric trainees would benefit from formal teaching, and it should be considered an important area for psychiatric continuing education.