Forensic Evaluation Of Insanity Analysis

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This article focuses on several elements of the Forensic evaluation of insanity. Forensic Psychologists evaluate individuals accused of a crime to determine whether or not the defendant meets certain criteria for the insanity defense. The evaluation is based on the defendant’s mental state at the time of the crime. In order to determine if an individual with a major mental illness is faking symptoms to avoid punishment, evaluators use several principles. These principles include: the defendants report, observed symptoms, reported symptoms by the defendant, performance on psychological testing, overall performance and how valid symptoms manifest themselves. It is also important for evaluators to examine third- party accounts : police reports,…show more content…
Referred to as Mr. X, the defendant had a history of childhood problems as well as sexual abuse. When he was in his early teens problems started to arise, he was expelled from school and encountered problems within the Criminal Justice system. Around this point he started to experience symptoms of a mental illness. These symptoms included: depression, lack of sleep, high periods of energy, self mutilation behaviors and suicidal statements. He was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 disorder. He also had issues with substance abuse as well as lack of commitment to long term relationships and employment. Throughout his twenties Mr. X struggled with self mutilation and suicidal behaviors. After briefly being hospitalized , he was diagnosed with several diagnosis including: major depressive disorder, Bipolar 2 disorder, major depressive episodes, substance abuse mood disorder, poly substance dependence, and personality disorder. One month before Mr. X murdered the clerk, he had a session at an outpatient treatment center. Reports reveled that he had experienced hearing voices as a child but nothing recent. During Mr. X’s insanity evaluation he reported new symptoms. He stated that he was hearing voices and had two out of body experiences. He had been hearing the voices off and on over the years. The out of body experiences had to do with traveling from his body and meeting a secret organization. This organization was supposed to save the world and stop other people from plotting against the organization. He also reported that they put a device in his brain so they could communicate. Unlike past voices he could hear these voices at all times in any
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