Do we Need A Psychiatric Or Psychology Report For Court?
Should a legal professional instruct a psychology or a psychiatric report?
To help explain let us look at 5 differences between psychiatrists & psychologists.
First let us take a look at Training.
Psychiatrists are medically trained doctors, meaning they have trained in medicine before specialising in psychiatry.
Psychologists that prepare expert reports are usually trained in psychology to a PhD level but do not have any medical training .
The second difference is running tests.
Often psychometric testing is needed to assess various capabilities.
Psychologists have the training and expertise to conduct intelligence tests, aptitude tests, vocational tests and personality tests
Psychologists are often called upon to determine cognitive ability of clients for court cases.
Psychiatrists cannot do these tests themselves but can interpret the results to form an opinion on mental capacity.
Often legal professionals instruct both a psychology and a psychiatric report so the court can understand a client’s mental health correctly.
Thirdly Psychologists and psychiatrists have a different standing in law Consultant Psychiatrists are usually authorised under section 12 of the mental health act 1983 and can legally order the detention of patients for assessment or treatment.
Psychologists are not authorised, under law to order patients to be detained. They can however, act as expert witnesses and give their opinion about the mental health of a patient.
Fourthly, treatments Psychiatrists can prescribe medicines to treat mental health issues as they are qualified in medicine. Psychologists however cannot do that.
Rather they can make recommendations for medical treatments or refer clients to a psychiatrist or psychotherapists for further treatment.
Fifthly, Psychologists often look for the cause of the mental health issue where as psychiatrists diagnose the current mental health condition presented by the client.
If you need any help in determining if you require a psychology or psychiatric report we are happy to help.
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