Abstract
Historically, the use of the insanity defense has been limited although not exclusively to those with a psychotic mental disorder at the time of the crime. Occasionally, an insanity acquittee may primarily suffer from a personality disorder at the time of commitment to the psychiatric hospital. Such examples can include someone with a personality disorder who malingers psychosis and legal insanity or who at the time of the crime may have been suffering from a drug-induced or brief reactive psychosis. One such case will be presented as well as dilemmas created for the clinician and forensic evaluator. In addition, pertinent medical and psychological literature and legal case precedents will be discussed. Finally, a proposed guideline for the treatment and evaluation of the personality-disordered insanity acquittee will be offered, focusing specifically on the aspects of the personality disorder that contribute to the individual's dangerousness.
Footnotes
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Dr. Osran is assistant professor of psychiatry, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychiatry, Richmond. Dr. Weinberger is associate professor of clinical psychiatry, University of Southern California, Department of Psychiatry, Los Angeles.
- Copyright © 1994, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
