PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - TG Gutheil AU - M Hauser AU - MS White AU - G Spruiell AU - LH Strasburger TI - "The whole truth" versus "the admissible truth": an ethics dilemma for expert witnesses DP - 2003 Dec 01 TA - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online PG - 422--427 VI - 31 IP - 4 4099 - http://jaapl.org/content/31/4/422.short 4100 - http://jaapl.org/content/31/4/422.full SO - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2003 Dec 01; 31 AB - The expert witness testifies under oath to tell "the whole truth," yet certain aspects of the legal system itself make this ideal difficult or impossible. The authors present both a philosophical and a practical discussion of the challenges for the expert in attaining this goal. After review of oaths in general and truth-telling in particular, real-life examples are provided to examine the vicissitudes of the whole truth in court. Recommendations are provided for experts, to preserve the truth in the adversary system.