United States v. Olhovsky, 562 F.3d530 (3rd Cir. 2009): Treating clinicians vs. expert witnesses
Interesting court decision reviewed in the latest Journal of the American Academyc of Pyschiatry and the Law (39, 1, 2011, pp. 119-120). The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that not subpoenaing the treating psychologist at sentencing was reversible error. The treating psychologist is a fact, not expert witness. “The case illustrates the weight that […]
Legal Capacity Assessments in the Elderly
Here is a presentation I am giving to geriatric psychiatry residents at UH Medical School this Friday. The presentation focuses on the basic procedures and concepts in conducting legal capacity assessments in the elderly. Legal Capacity Assessments in the Elderly Marvin W. Acklin, PhD, ABPP Department of Psychiatry JABSOM Honolulu, Hawaii February 25, 2010 It is […]
Who gets PTSD and Why?
You may have heard about the new “positive psychology” approach to dealing with the psychological injuries endured by combat vets. The latest American Psychologist has a full edition devoted to “Comprehensive Soldier Fitness” (2011, 66, 1, 1-86). I eagerly went to it, with an interest in their view of who gets PTSD and why? Results? Not […]
Psychology and the Human Condition II
If I had to rely on psychology for what I know about people, it would be pitifully thin. Sources that I have found useful in my understanding of the human condition, including freedom, guilt, and responsibility: Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Ovid, Augustine, Old and New Testaments (especially the Gospels), St. Paul (esp., the Letter to the […]