Forensic psychiatry is a subcategory of the psychiatry field that specializes in assessing the mentally disordered and combining the assessments with the legal system in the court. Forensic psychiatrists help to assess the mental health of people in places such as hospitals and prisons. Some areas that they specifically focus on most include depression, anxiety, hysteria, and psychotic conditions, such as schizophrenia. They most notably assess the mental health of those who have declared it was their mental state that led them to commit a crime. Any information found is reported to the lawyer, who will then decide if the information is relevant enough to be used in court. If they find it so, the psychiatrist must provide an expert testimony …show more content…
This differs from the forensic psychologist who assesses if a person has a mental disorder. Psychiatrists will graduate from a medical school and receive a medical license, and undergo all the training requirements that a medical physician would have to complete. Psychologists will receive a Ph.D. in psychology and use their skills in a criminal justice field. These are just some of the basic differences between the two …show more content…
It is an interesting occupation that provides a lot of insight to the human mind and its workings, while also using such findings in a court of law. Forensic psychiatry is definitely a job for those who are confident and love to learn, because there are always new things to learn to further one’s education in the medical field.
Works Cited
“Forensic Psychiatry.” NHS Choices, NHS, www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/roles-doctors/psychiatry/forensic-psychiatry.
“Forensic Psychology and Forensic Psychiatry - The Differences.” Forensic Psychology Online, Forensic Psychology Online, www.forensicpsychologyonline.com/forensic-psychology-vs-forensic-psychiatry/.
Reid, William H. “Frequently Asked Questions About Forensic Psychiatry.” Frequently Asked Questions about Forensic Psychiatry, www.reidpsychiatry.com/reidfaq.html.
“What Does a Forensic Psychiatrist Do?” Learn.org -, Learn.org, learn.org/articles/What_Does_a_Forensic_Psychiatrist_Do.html.
“What Education Do I Need to Become a Forensic Psychiatrist?” Degrees & Courses from Top Colleges and Universities: Learn.org, Learn.org,
Psychopath and Sociopath are so closely related that many don’t know they are different illness. Both psychopath and sociopath have similar illness but their factors are completely different. Study’s shows this may be a product of nature vs nurture. Secondly, Psychopath behavior is shown to be controlled while sociopath is shown to have uncontrollable behavior. Thirdly, there violence outburst is different, psychopath usually plan out their crimes while sociopaths are erratic and careless with their crimes. Fourthly, Psychopaths don’t feel any type emotion towards others but they can be in relationships when it comes beneficial to them. Sociopaths often don’t have relationships, they don’t become attached to others. Lastly, Psychopath are actually
Costanzo, M., & Krauss, D. (2012). Forensic and Legal Psychology: Psychological Science Applied to Law. New York: Worth Publishers.
When planning to enter into the forensic psychology field, the degree you earn will lead to licensure. Earning your masters or doctorate in clinical psychology or counseling psychology will be the goals to becoming a licensed psychologist. Typically the common degree amongst most forensic psychologists are in the clinical psychology department and not in the counseling department as the bulk of your co-workers will
The 20th century was a pivotal time period for psychology. During this time period many sub-disciplines of psychology were created which in essence contributed to the growth and further development of psychology. One of those sub-disciplines of psychology that seems to constantly grow and has gained momentum over the years has been forensic psychology. Although Munsterberg was not the first to suggest that psychology should be applied to the law, instead it was Freud in 1906 during a speech to an Australian judge that there are factors within psychology that should be applied to the law. Although he was the man behind the discovery of forensic psychology and several other sub-disciplines of psychology.
“To study the abnormal is the best way to study the normal” (William James). Psychiatrists never give up on any of their patients and always help anyone who asks for it. Psychiatrists have a never ending work schedule. Sometimes their patients call them even without an appointment because they are really struggling and they have to go talk to them. Psychiatrists also have to get at least eight years of school and an additional three or more years of an internship (“Career Information Center” 142- 43) . Psychiatrist must also have good communication skills. If they do not then their patient will feel like they do not care about them and they are not listening and the psychiatrists will be putting even more pain and pressure on them (Social Skills Training) . Even though psychiatrists must go through many years of school and training, all of their hard work is pays off knowing that they help people every day.
Kerns, Jeanne M. "Sociopath Vs. Psychopath: There Is a Difference." Yahoo Contributor Network. Www.yahoo.com, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
A clinical psychologist asses, diagnoses, and treats people with emotional and behavioral disorders. These type of psychologist can treat short term personal life issues, to long term chronic issues such as, depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia and others. Sadly, a in a world we live in today these are found most common to teenagers and young adults. Some psychologist focus only on certain ages, an example is some people work with children only, or the elderly. (bls.gov).
"Forensic science." UXL Encyclopedia of Science. U*X*L, 2007. Student Resources in Context. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
The professional role of a forensic psychologist I am interested in is working as a prison psychologist. The reason it interests me is because prison psychologists are a big part in the function of today’s society. The prison psychologist play an important role in the rehabilitation with those who we would call the common criminal as well as working with criminals who are clinically insane. There are many roles that the prison psychologists do in the prison system such as treating all different criminals from murderers, sex offenders, violent offender and even those who have committed white collar crimes. The prison psychologist tend to work in many different types of facilities from maximum prisons, minimum security prisons, and mental health facilities that hold
Beginning in the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s forensic psychology originated when a man named James McKeen Cattell conducted a study at Columbia University. During his time learning and coming up with the idea that psychology could be used as a way to solve court cases he did many experiments with his students. In one study he allowed 56 of his students practice eye witness testimonies with a series of questions. He conducted the experiment by asking the students about trees and asked the students to rate their confidence in what they saw and recall what they saw hours later. During this experiment Cattell...
Psychiatrists provide treatment to patients is different than that of most other physicians. They must not only diagnose and treat their patients medically, but must also make sure that the patient is not a threat to themselves or anyone else. They will meet with patients on regular basis; this could be bi-weekly, weekly, or two or more times a week. A psychiatrist must get to know their patients, and learn everything about them. By doing this, they can evaluate their situation and give advice and support accordingly. The psychiatrist would usually start off by doing a thorough history of the patient; documenting any information that may be relevant. This information could include medical history, any abuse as a child/adolescent, and any other knowledge that could lead to a better understanding of the patients needs. The psy...
Greenfield, D. (2007). Introduction to forensic psychology. issues and controversies in crime and justice. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 35(2), 201-201-204,105-106.
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, particularly those that affect behavior in a certain context. It is a field of work with myriad branches such as neuropsychology, clinical psychology, educational and developmental psychology, health psychology, criminal psychology and many more. The study of psychology as a whole is a grand object of intrigue that I am not entirely familiar with, but very aware of. I have seen many educational psychologists help students in my past. Criminal psychology in particular is the study of the will, thoughts, intents, and reactions of criminals and whoever partakes in criminal activity. In order to become a criminal psychologist one must first earn a bachelor's degree, a master's
Become a Clinical Psychologist. Inner Body. Inner Body Careers, 23 Feb. 2014. Web. The Web.
Sheppard. (n.d.). What is Counselling. A search for a definition. Notebook on Ethics, Legal Issue, and Standards for Counsellors.