Forensic Psychiatry

There are many branches of medicine, one of them is something called: Forensic Psychiatry. Forensic Psychiatry focuses on the law and mental health. It involves psychiatric consultation during legal matters such as expert testimony, clinical work with perpetrators and victims and also when other parties are involved in potential litigation with a psychiatric connection. A forensic psychiatrist is a psychiatrist who is also a medical doctor and has completed additional training in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders regarding how the law interfaces with mental illness.

Forensic psychiatry helps the legal process because there are certain instances where it is useful to have expertise in the field of medical specialties, namely psychiatry when there is need for a consultation regarding a case. The psychiatrist will assess the facts and then to give an expert opinion regarding the case. They may work directly with an attorney or with the court.