Forensic Psychiatrist Essay

A forensic psychiatrist is used for the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in prisons, secure hospitals, and in the community. These people are trained to be medical doctors and they can prescribe medications. They have to learn how to properly diagnose, understand, and treat mental disorders. One part of their job description is to be an expert witness. They are responsible for the evaluation of facts and mental state of the defended. Some of the specific disorders they look for is anxiety, depression, hysteria, schizophrenia, and psychotic conditions. The education required to become a forensic psychiatrist is of course college since they are medical doctors it takes a prerequisite pre-med college courses for 4 years and then another 4 years at medical school then 4 …show more content…
Their regular work week would include a combination of clinical work, clinical governance, teaching, and training. The usual work hours are about 9am-5pm. They work in specific but they go to their duties at police stations, prisons, courts,and hospitals. A lot of forensic mental health services operate from well equipped, purpose-built modern facilities but the psychiatrist may have to travel long distances for prison assessments. The working week is limited to 45 hours a week.
A forensic psychiatrist duty in court is to help with cases where the defendant is trying to plead insanity and they are also used to determine if the person is a person who would confess to the crime. They can also be present at civil hearings to help determine maybe the competence of a person making a will, dispose of property, or refusal for medical attention. They also evaluate and testify in cases involving emotional harm or