HIGH-PROFILE CASES in the media where people accused of crimes are said to suffer from mental illness were used as examples to explain the role a forensic psychiatrist plays within the legal system by Dr Gangopadhyay of the University of Aberdeen at a seminar in April.
He also provided a unique insight into the different elements of his occupation both at the university and in the NHS locally – which include support of prison health services and acting as an expert witness in court cases.
Dr Gangopadhyay said:
"The role of a forensic psychiatrist is to work at the interface between medicine and law. We work closely with the legal system providing assessment in cases where the person accused or convicted of a crime has a suspected mental disorder, and also advice on treatment taking into account the risk that person poses to society and to themselves.”
According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists:
“Forensic psychiatry is a specialty concerned with helping people who have a mental disorder and who present a significant risk to the public. It covers areas such as: the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offenders; investigation of the complex relationships between mental disorder and criminal behaviour; working with criminal justice agencies to support patients and protection of the public. Forensic psychiatrists work alongside many other services including the police, probation service, courts, Crown Prosecution Service, prisons.”