Cultural Competence In Forensic Mental Health

As culturally relevant psychiatry becomes common practice, the need for competent and culturally relevant forensic psychiatry comes to the forefront. This volume, written by one expert in cultural psychiatry and another in forensic psychiatry addresses that need. By combining their expertise in these areas, they are able to develop and create a new body of knowledge and experiences addressing the issue of the cultural aspects of forensic psychiatry. Beginning with an introduction to cultural and ethnic aspects of forensic psychiatry, this volume will address basic issues of the practice, as well as more detailed areas ranging from the various psychiatric disorders to intensive analysis and discussion of how to perform forensic psychiatric practice in a culturally relevant and competent way. Also the book suggests methods for continued awareness and sensitivity to issues of cultural and ethnic diversity in the field.

Building on their previous works about cultural competency in clinical areas and in psychotherapy, the editors have created in this volume an exceptional and entirely new approach to understanding and acquiring cultural competency. Instead of examining populations of different ethnic groups, particularly minority groups (as is typical in the literature), this illuminating volume examines cultural issues as applied to the practice of virtually every psychiatric service (e.g., inpatient, outpatient, consultation-liaison, pain management, and emergency) and specialty (e.g., child and adolescent, geriatric, addiction, and forensic psychiatry). Concluding chapters discuss cultural factors in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. Thirteen distinguished contributors bring these issues to life with numerous case vignettes in all 11 chapters. The foundation for this breakthrough approach rests on Culture -- The unique behavior patterns and lifestyle that encompass a set of views, beliefs, values, and attitudes shared by a group of people that distinguish it from other groups. Culture and people influence each other reciprocally and interactionally -- on a conscious or unconscious level. Cultural competence -- Clinicians need to master cultural sensitivity, knowledge, and empathy; they need to be flexible, and they need to be skilled in culturally relevant doctor-patient relationships and interactions and to know how to use these elements therapeutically. The critical importance of cultural competence -- Clinicians typically work in multiethnic-cultural societies, providing care for patients of diverse backgrounds. For this reason, virtually all clinical practice can be seen as transcultural. Even when clinicians treat patients who share cultural backgrounds similar to their own, it is inevitable that some differences exist. Further, in the medical setting, three types of culture are present: the culture of the patient, the culture of the physician, and the medical culture in which the clinical work is practiced. Understanding these three cultural dimensions is essential to comprehending and carrying out culturally competent clinical work. This practical and innovative guide -- designed to help mental health care professionals meet the new requirements for cultural competence in clinical work -- will find a welcoming audience among students, residents, educators, and clinicians everywhere.

This book explores the ways in which diversity and experiences of marginalisation are present in forensic mental health care settings around the globe and suggests ways of moving forward. Forensic mental health services provide care for a group of patients who are marginalised in several respects. Many have experienced childhood adversity and abuse, substance use, serious and chronic mental disorders, poor healthcare education or treatment, inadequate educational opportunities, social isolation, and pervasive forms of stigmatization. On top of these individual experiences of marginalisation, wide diversity exists across patients’ socio-demographic, cultural, and clinical characteristics. Chapters in this book discuss these crucial and often sensitive problems, such as working with transgender prisoners, the impact of incarceration for children from non-white backgrounds, cultural and linguistic diversity in forensic settings, and more. Combining global perspectives, current evidence and case studies, this book will be of interest to patients, carers, practitioners, researchers, and students of forensic mental health.

Forensic psychiatry is the discipline which distinguishes the 'mad' from the 'bad', but are its values inherently racist? Why are individuals from non-Western backgrounds over-represented statistically in those diagnosed with schizophrenia and other serious illnesses? The authors argue that the values on which psychiatry is based are firmly rooted in ethnocentric Western culture, with profound implications for individual diagnosis and systems of care. Through detailed exploration of the history of psychiatry, current clinical issues and present public policy, this powerful book traces the growth of a system in which non-conformity to the prevailing cultural norms risks alienation and diagnosis of mental disorder.

When care of younger patients raises thorny legal questions, you need answers you can trust: that's why this book belongs on every clinician's reference shelf. Principles and Practice of Child and Adolescent Forensic Mental Health is a timely and authoritative source that covers issues ranging from child custody to litigation concerns as it walks clinicians through the often-confusing field of depositions and courtroom testimony. The book expands on the 2002 volume Principles and Practice of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry winner of the 2003 Manfred S. Guttmacher Award, to meet pressing twenty-first-century concerns, from telepsychiatry to the Internet, while continuing to cover basic issues, such as forensic evaluation, psychological screening, and the interviewing of children for suspected sexual abuse, that are important to both new and experienced practitioners. Many of its chapters have been entirely rewritten by new authors to provide fresh insight into such topics as child custody; juvenile law; abuse, neglect, and permanent wardship cases; transcultural, transracial, and gay/lesbian parenting and adoption; and the reliability and suggestibility of children's statements. It also includes significant material not found in the previous volume: Two chapters on special education offer an introduction to screening instruments and help practitioners determine a child's potential need for special education programs and services. A chapter on cultural competence helps readers improve the accuracy and responsiveness of forensic evaluations and minimize the chance of an unjust outcome resulting from misguided expert opinion. The section on youth violence features three new chapters -- Taxonomy and Neurobiology of Aggression, Prevention of School Violence, and Juvenile Stalkers -- plus a newly written chapter on assessment of violence risk, offering guidance on how to confront problems such as bullying and initiate effective family interventions. A chapter on psychiatric malpractice and professional liability addresses these legal concerns with an eye toward cases involving minors. A chapter on psychological autopsy covers evaluation of the circumstances surrounding pediatric suicides, describing various types of equivocal deaths and discussing legal issues such as admissibility of the autopsy in court. A newly written chapter on the Internet expands the previous book's focus on child pornography to help practitioners deal with issues ranging from online threats to emotional and legal consequences of interactions in cyberspace. This is a valuable reference not only for practitioners in psychiatry and the mental health field but also for attorneys and judges. It opens up a field that may be too often avoided and helps professionals make their way through legal thickets with confidence.

The third edition of this award-winning textbook has been revised and thoroughly updated. Building on the success of the previous editions, it continues to address the history and practice of forensic psychiatry, legal regulation of the practice of psychiatry, forensic evaluation and treatment, psychiatry in relation to civil law, criminal law and family law, as well as correctional forensic psychiatry. New chapters address changes in the assessment and treatment of aggression and violence as well as psychological and neuroimaging assessments.

The Handbook of Forensic Mental Health in Africa traces the history of forensic mental health in Africa, discussing the importance of considering cultural differences when implementing Western-validated practices on the continent while establishing state-of-the-art assessment and treatment of justice-involved persons. Experts in the field of forensic mental health throughout Africa explore the current state of forensic mental health policy and service provision, as well as the unique ethical challenges which have arisen with the recent growth of interest in the field. The African and international research literature on violence risk assessment, competency to stand trial, malingering assessment, Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) evaluations, report writing as an expert witness and mental health legislation in the context of forensic practice are explored throughout. Finally, future directions for forensic mental health in Africa are discussed for juvenile, female and elderly offenders. This text is ideal for mental health, criminal justice and legal professionals working in clinical, research and policy contexts.

The contributors examine the intersections of psychology & the law with regard to race & culture. As diversity gains increasing levels of respect in Western society, so this is becoming an evermore important topic of concern.