Table 2

Relevance of Forensic Psychiatry in the Various Types of Fatality Review

Type of Fatality Review TeamPotential Role for Forensic Psychiatry
Child Fatality ReviewSharing knowledge regarding:
 mental illness in parents and youth, and response to treatment
 motives for filicide
 substance use disorders and personality disorders among parents and youth
 risk factors for suicide and homicide/neonaticide/filicide
 predictability/foreseeability of suicide and homicide
Conceptualizing intentionality versus unintentional or accidental death
Developing multi-agency relationships
Assisting in developing recommendations that are feasible and logical in our populations
Domestic Violence Fatality ReviewSharing knowledge regarding:
 mental illness and substance use disorders in both perpetrators and victims, and response to treatment
 mental illness and substance use and the correlation with domestic violence
 medical screening for domestic violence
 different forms of domestic violence, as well as different types of stalking
 risk factors for intimate partner homicide, suicide, and stalking
Developing multi-agency relationships
Assisting in developing recommendations that are feasible and logical in our populations
Elder Abuse Fatality ReviewSharing knowledge regarding:
 geriatric psychiatry related to victims, and mental illness/substance abuse/personality disorders among offenders
 dementias, diagnosis, and treatment
 risk factors for physical abuse, physical neglect, and financial exploitation
 the guardianship process and criteria as well as testamentary capacity
 predictability/foreseeability of outcomes
Developing multi-agency relationships
Assisting in developing recommendations that are feasible and logical in our populations
Overdose Fatality ReviewSharing knowledge regarding:
 substance use disorders and mental illness, and their appropriate treatments
 appropriate prescribing behaviors
 physician ethics
 criminality and criminogenic risk related to drug use
 suicide among substance abusing populations
Conceptualizing intentionality versus unintentional or accidental death
Developing multi-agency relationships
Assisting in developing recommendations that are feasible and logical in our populations
Maternal Mortality ReviewSharing knowledge regarding:
 maternal mental health, such as postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis
 screening for postpartum depression
 maternal suicide
 treatment of maternal mental health disorders