RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Commentary: The Place of Performative Writing in Forensic Psychiatry
JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law
FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
SP 27
OP 31
VO 35
IS 1
A1 Ezra E. H. Griffith
A1 Madelon V. Baranoski
YR 2007
UL http://jaapl.org/content/35/1/27.abstract
AB In this issue of the Journal, Robert Simon has explored the subject of the place that writing should occupy in the professional life of forensic psychiatrists. We have taken the platform so elegantly constructed by this erudite and prolific author and used it to discuss the quotidian and concrete task of writing the customary forensic psychiatry report. We look to other disciplines for mechanisms to analyze the written forensic report: concepts of voice, portraiture, and narrative. We ultimately conclude that preparing these reports is a complex undertaking and that writing with clarity, precision, and artistry in forensic psychiatry should be viewed as a core competency.