Methamphetamine Use: Clinical and Forensic Aspects (Pacific Institute Series on Forensic Psychology) [Hardcover]

Sandra B. McPherson (Author), Harold V. Hall (Author), Errol Yudko (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0849314771 | ISBN-13: 978-0849314773 | Publication Date: June 26, 2003 | Edition: 1

A man is accused of attempted murder of a former crystal meth addict. He claims he shot in self-defense, responding to the extremely aggressive behavior the victim was exhibiting. How will this play out in court? Most likely, the prosecution and the defense will call various expert witnesses - perhaps neurologists, psychologists, pathologists - each with testimonies based on their own theoretical viewpoints, but none with a truly comprehensive knowledge of the background and effects of methamphetamine (MA) use. This will cause confusion, complexity, and their testimonies may not comply with Daubert standards.

Written by a multidisciplinary team of experts, Methaphetamine Use: Clinical and Forensic Aspects examines MA use and abuse from clinical, forensic, and criminal justice perspectives. It is the first to cover virtually every aspect, reviewing the history, pharmacology, pathology, physiology, treatment, and evidentiary value of MA and its use. It addresses Daubert considerations and victim/witness credibility, competency to confess and to stand trial, criminal responsibility, extreme emotion as mitigation to murder, and dangerousness. It also details statutes and case law to represent perspectives of both the prosecution and the defense.

Growing in popularity more than any other illegal drug, methamphetamine has been shown to produce a paranoid psychotic state, which may recur months or years after use. Methamphetamine Use: Clinical and Forensic Aspects provides a comprehensive, critical survey of the current knowledge and policies regarding the use and abuse of this dangerous and ubiquitous substance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book is useful because it is easy to read, covers the topic well, and contains an extensive glossary of terms. The forensic part is well done and covers important areas.

- in Doody's Notes

About the Author

Commerce Park IV, Beachwood, Ohio, USA Pacific Institute for the Study of Aggression, Kamuela, Hawa University of Hawaii, Hilo, USA --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 1 edition (June 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849314771
• ISBN-13: 978-0849314773
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,454,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The reality behind "The Faces of Meth", September 17, 2010

By 

Mysterious Microburst "Apocryphal Raven" (Mohave County, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Methamphetamine Use: Clinical and Forensic Aspects, Second Edition (Pacific Institute Series on Forensic Psychology) (Hardcover)

Recreational users often do not believe that all it takes is one event to change their lives forever and sometimes that event occurs the first and only time Methamphetamine is used. The authors are not stodgy: it is clearly stated herein that Cannabis is not a concern. What is written here is the truth and it is a truth that recreational users and cookers will deny, as all substance abusers can only continue the abuse when they are in denial of truth. This is the same mechanism in alcoholics as it is in tweakers: as perception becomes progressively distorted by repeated insults to the brain, the lens through which reality is "seen" becomes something akin to a broken mirror.

I've learned to identify former abusers by certain characteristics: a certain type of obesity more often seen in women, who imagined that being twenty pounds overweight was the primary reason they were not attractive, when in fact they were attractive from an exterior point of reference. Far less attractive is a needy and self-deprecating personality in a slightly chubby body, but when someone has convinced themselves that attractiveness is defined in terms of quantity rather than quality it is very difficult to deliver the message to one who has already chosen what appears to be the easy path.

Campaigns like 'The Faces of Meth' are not an effective deterrent. Individuals imagine they are immune and the people displayed in the Before And After images are special "worst case" examples. In fact, I've seen at least half a dozen who make the people in the posters appear like they've had a bad day. Again, the problem is much deeper and heartbreaking than what any photos can communicate: this book will tell you ten thousand words that cannot be conveyed in an image. "Agnosia" is a word one doesn't often hear in casual conversation...search within this book and search in Google to understand the worst of what can (and very often does) happen neurologically.

Our minds are delicately balanced and not meant to be treated with disrespect. Fortunately, our minds can often heal from really horrible injuries. What is most important to understand that the damage that was done in ten minutes or ten months can take ten years to heal. The mind heals slowly, but proper nutrition and supplements can help those who sincerely want to recover.

I'm not a stodgy, conservative person or anybody's mom. I've just seen gentle, smart, happy and attractive people become violent, intellectually-challenged, angry and grotesque parodies of themselves. This book does not overstate the case against Methamphetamine: the data is based on scientific fact, not biased opinion or hysteria-fueled scare tactics. Read it *before* you weep.