The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Forensic Psychiatry

The editors, Robert I. Simon, MD, and Liza H. Gold, MD, are Clinical Professors in the Program in Psychiatry and the Law at Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C. They have assembled a solid team of experts in forensic psychiatry, forensic psychology, and mental health law to produce the second edition of The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Forensic Psychiatry. The comprehensive text covers the foundation of forensic psychiatry, civil matters, criminal forensic psychiatry, and special topics in its 23 chapters.

The importance of this book may be best illuminated from a historical perspective. During my medical and residency years, there were few resources available to enlighten health care students and professionals about the practice of forensic psychiatry. Today, there are many publications of varying quality that fill the gap.

This textbook may serve as an invaluable resource for general psychiatrists and senior psychiatry residents who have an interest in forensic psychiatry or as a basic and concise introductory text for a forensic psychiatry residency program. However, as many chapters caution, the book by itself will not prepare a psychiatrist to practice forensic psychiatry. As with many multiauthored books, some topics are more thoroughly developed than others. Each chapter is self-contained, and readers may select specific topics to review without reading the entire book. Thus, there is some repetition of basic concepts throughout the book.

The text is well-organized, clearly written, and free of excessive jargon. Most chapters include an introduction that contains a list of fundamental lessons, one or more case vignettes, a conclusion section, a key points section, a practice guidelines section, and several references. This layout facilitates the acquisition and comprehension of important forensic psychiatric concepts, especially for those with no or limited prior exposure to or experience in forensic psychiatry. Most of the textbook readily held my attention, and experienced forensic psychiatrists will find some new and interesting information as they review basic concepts.

Nonetheless, some chapters were particularly noteworthy for their selection and presentation of foundational material. “Rediscovering Forensic Psychiatry” describes fascinating aspects of forensic practice that make the field attractive to many psychiatrists. Two chapters, “Introduction to the Legal System,” and “Ethics in Forensic Psychiatry,” which cover historical, basic legal, and ethics-related aspects of forensic psychiatry, provide stimulating reading in some of the most pedantic of subject areas. Although the authors of the chapter titled “Forensic Assessment of Sex Offenders” explicate well, they leave the reader wanting more information about sex offenders and the Internet. The “Special Topics” section covers a variety of important topics in forensic psychiatry, including forensic practice and geriatric psychiatry and child and adolescent forensic psychiatry. The chapters that address malingering, risk assessment instruments, and psychological testing offer the seasoned forensic psychiatrist the largest amount of new information.

Overall, the second edition of this book has succeeded in its principal mission of illuminating forensic psychiatry for mental health clinicians and psychiatry residents and may serve as a reference for more experienced psychiatrists who teach, are preparing for board recertification, or wish to review forensic topics that that they do not routinely encounter. The textbook has two companion volumes, Study Guide to Forensic Psychiatry¹ and Self-Assessment in Forensic Psychiatry,² that may reinforce key concepts from the primary text.

• © 2014 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law