Adult Psychiatry in Family And Child Law

This book enables participants in family and child care litigation in the UK to understand the psychiatric issues arising in such cases so as to perform their own duties in an informed way. Dealing with the nature of psychiatric disorders in all their common presentations, this indispensable book provides comprehensive advice to participants in litigation, making use of clinical examples from the author's medical-legal practice. The book also offers practitioners thorough explanations of areas such as diagnosis and capacity, thus acting as a bridge between the law and adult psychiatric practice. Adult Psychiatry in Family and Child Law is essential reading for those professionals who need to identify psychiatric issues, instruct relevant experts, and evaluate such evidence. It is written for lawyers, judges, justice clerks, social workers, and experts in other fields who may need to inform themselves of the work of the adult psychiatrist. Contents include: the psychiatric examination; psychiatric disorders and their classifications - including organic mental disorders, psychotic disorders, disorders of mood, and disorders of dependence and appetite; consent, confidentiality, and capacity; and the UK's Mental Health Act 1983.