The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide [Paperback]

Thomas G., M.D. Gutheil (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 088048764X | ISBN-13: 978-0880487641 | Publication Date: February 1998 | Edition: 1

For some practicing psychiatrists, the prospect of going to court is as welcome an idea as surgery without anesthesia. Every psychiatrist has heard colleaguesA lurid tales of their appearances in courtAwhether as defendants or as an expert witnessesAwhere merciless lawyers dissected their testimony in public, leaving their professional reputation in tatters. Unfortunately, court appearances are becoming a fact of life in todayAs litigious society. Knowledge and preparation are necessary to prevent court proceedings from damaging your reputation. The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide will help you navigate the dangers lurking beneath the surface of the courtroom appearance. To lessen your dread and quell your fears about this stressful situation, this book succinctly illustrates the basics of the legal process, including the setting, the assumptions, the personnel, and the issues and techniques involved. Drawing on his internationally recognized expertise as a forensic psychiatrist and expert witness, Dr. Thomas Gutheil describes the legal process step by step from the subpoena and deposition to the actual trial and describes the surprises and pitfalls that lay in your path. He outlines different approaches to testifying on the witness stand and discusses the various roles a psychiatrist may play in court procedure. Mixing humor and a cheerful informality, Dr. Gutheil uses examples drawn from hundreds of actual cases and countless consultations with colleagues to show you how to deal with the legal system successfully. Practical, readable, and supportive, The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide contains all the hands-on tips you will need to face your courtroom appearance with confidence and aplomb. Because knowledge and preparation are the keys to a successful trial experience, this book is a guide that you cannot be without.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" "The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide" and "The Psychiatrist as Expert Witness"are tightly written, succinct paperbacks.... Although these books serve quite different purposes, they are highly complementary and the author frequently refers the reader from one to the other.... Dr. Gutheil's style is readable and entertaining. He generously recounts many interesting anecdotes from his personal experience in depositions and courtrooms... [and] has included many practical outlines and checklists in both volumes.... [B]oth of these books are very useful and will be enjoyed and appreciated by psychiatrists who are anticipating their days in court. The reader will benefit greatly from Dr. Thomas Gutheil's wit, wisdom, and experience."-- "Journal of Clinical Psychiatry"

About the Author

Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Co-Director of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. His textbook, Clinical Handbook of Psychiatry and the Law, co-authored with Paul S. Appelbaum, M.D., received the Manfred S. Guttmacher award as the outstanding contribution to the forensic psychiatry literature. He is also the recipient of Le Prix Pinel awarded by the International Academy of Law and Mental Health for outstanding contributions to teaching and research in the forensic realm. He was 1995 ÂTeacher of the Year, elected at the United States Psychiatric Congress. He received the Seymour Pollock Award from the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law for outstanding contributions to the teaching of forensic psychiatry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 126 pages
• Publisher: Amer Psychiatric Pub; 1 edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088048764X
• ISBN-13: 978-0880487641
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,678,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Law > Procedures & Litigation > Witnesses

More About the Author

Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D.


Dr. Gutheil is Professor of Psychiatry and co-founder of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. An internationally known forensic psychiatrist, teacher, consultant and author of some 250 publications, he was the year 2000 president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law and is President-elect of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health. Dr. Gutheil has served as a consulting or expert witness in more than forty states. Recipient of every major award in the forensic field and multiple teaching and writing awards, he is listed under forensic psychiatry in the 1994 and 2005-6 editions of "Best Doctors in America." Dr. Gutheil lives and works in the Boston area.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A three legged lawyer walks into a saloon-- stop me if you've heard this one, March 9, 2007

By 

My Uncle Stu (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide (Paperback)

Unfortunately, the only realistic way to practice medicine these days is defensively. With every decision you make and every note you write, you have to have an imaginary lawyer sitting on one shoulder watching (and sadly an insurance utilization reviewer peering over the other). When making a judgment call, a doctor now has to imagine the worse possible outcome and then imagine themselves defending their decision in that case. Gone are the days when doctors are put on pedestals and are free to exercise their best judgment based some part on knowledge but also intuition and gut feelings. For the most part this is a good thing, the system certainly wasn't perfect back in the day, but between the fear of lawsuits and the need to conform to standards created by insurance companies, efficient medicine, many doctors are too distracted to remember that most important part of patient care is caring for your patients. Like it or not, this is the environment in which we operate today, so at some point it makes sense to stop complaining and just try to understand it.

Doctors and lawyers train in very different ways, which results in the two disciplines thinking about cases and discussing them differently. Lawyers can take a case and manipulate individual variables, creating an infinite amount of hypothetical questions that a doctor on the stand has to answer with a `yes' or `no' or else appear to be obfuscating. But doctors are used to thinking of cases as individuals, with a complex interaction of variables on multiple levels contributing to a total picture. And as complex as this is in general medicine, it is even more complex in psychiatry, where numerous medical, social and psychological factors interact, and where the emotional baggage attached to every little piece of jargon is weighted with stigma and moral indictments.

Dr. Gutheil provides enough of a background for a psychiatrist to at least take the stand and not get flustered. The mere act of getting flustered by the questioning of a talented attorney is enough to make you look guilty and defensive, even though we all know that in reality it has nothing to do with your clinical skills. Gutheil's approach is light and humorous enough to make this topic readable, and that's saying a lot. I've so far been fortunate enough to have not had any nightmare situations, but it's just a matter chance, so I'm grateful to have this book in my arsenal.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but basic, July 27, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide (Paperback)

A very good overview for those practitioners that are unfamiliar with the legal system. Quite easy to read and understand, especially if one is called upon to testify or be deposed. It seems the only problem is that the book may be too simplistic for one already slightly familiar with the process of a trial. I would recommend it highly for medical students and psyciatric residents in their early years of training.

5.0 out of 5 stars Self-praise??, July 14, 2010

By 

T. G. Gutheil "Genre fan" (Brookline, Mass., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide (Paperback)

In all modesty [ahem!] this is a very handy way to cope with the horrors of going to court as defendant or witness; it tells you how to understand and cope with depositions and trials; though aimed at the newbie, it has some value to more experienced witnesses.