Domestic Violence, Firearms, and Mass Shootings.

The strong association between firearms, domestic violence (particularly intimate partner homicide), and additional victimization suggests that prioritization of measures to decrease access to firearms to perpetrators of domestic violence may also reduce the incidence of mass shootings. The majority of mass shootings are associated with domestic violence. The current study by Kivisto and Porter examines whether the use of a firearm in domestic homicide affects the risk that others will also be killed during the same incident.

AAPL Practice Resource for the Forensic Evaluation of Psychiatric Disability.

(Reprinted with permission from ).

Psychiatric Evidence and Due Process in Firearms Rights Restoration.

In the preceding article, we reviewed the current state of federal and state regulation of restoration of firearms rights, termed "relief from disability (RFD)," for those who have had those rights suspended due to mental health prohibitors. This review demonstrated that these laws vary widely and at times create situations in which firearms rights may be effectively banned indefinitely. In this article, we review due process and psychiatric evidentiary requirements in RFD hearings.

Legal Regulation of Restoration of Firearms Rights After Mental Health Prohibition.

The federal government and many states have laws restricting access to firearms by those who have been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution or adjudicated not competent to stand trial or not guilty by reason of insanity. The federal government and many states also have statutes allowing individuals under these mental health firearm prohibitions to regain their firearms rights. Restriction of firearms rights by reason of mental health prohibitors is legally referred to as a "disability," and programs that can restore firearms rights are styled "relief from disability" (RFD) programs.

AAPL Practice Resource for the Forensic Evaluation of Psychiatric Disability.

Full Document: Anfang SA, Gold LH, Meyer DJ: AAPL practice resource for the forensic evaluation of psychiatric disability. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Supplement 2018, 46 (1). Available at: http://www.

American Psychiatric Association: Position Statement on Firearm Access, Acts of Violence and the Relationship to Mental Illness and Mental Health Services.

The American Psychiatric Association, ("APA"), with more than 36,000 members at present, is the Nation's leading organization of physicians who specialize in psychiatry. APA provides for education and advocacy and develops policy through Position Statements. It promotes enhanced knowledge of particular topics relevant to psychiatric practice and patient care through Resource Documents.

Resource Document on Access to Firearms by People with Mental Disorders.

The American Psychiatric Association, ("APA"), with more than 36,000 members at present, is the Nation's leading organization of physicians who specialize in psychiatry. APA provides for education and advocacy and develops policy through Position Statements. It promotes enhanced knowledge of particular topics relevant to psychiatric practice and patient care through Resource Documents.

DSM-5 and the assessment of functioning: the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0).

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) has dropped the multiaxial diagnostic system and moved to a dimensional system of diagnostic classification. This change means that there is no longer a separate Axis V or specific diagnostic category for assessment of functioning. In addition, the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), the previously endorsed numerical rating scale used for assessment of functioning and reported on Axis V, has been eliminated.

Commentary: Challenges in providing psychiatric disability evaluations.

Christopher et al., in their study of differences between general psychiatrists and forensic psychiatrists in the evaluation of psychiatric disability relative to Social Security Disability Insurance claims, have provided useful information regarding statistically significant differences in practice and beliefs. Despite the relatively small number of participants in this unique survey study, the authors have identified important sources of potential bias among both general and forensic psychiatrists.

POWs versus torturers: forensic evaluation of military personnel.

In April 2002, 17 American prisoners of war (POWs) and 37 of their family members brought an action in federal district court in Washington, D.C., against the Republic of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, and the Iraqi Intelligence Service for torture the POWs alleged they endured in 1991, following their capture during Operation Desert Storm.

Without thinking: impulsive aggression and criminal responsibility.

In the U.S. the decision to impose criminal responsibility rests on an assumption about the defendant's decision to engage in proscribed conduct.

Do you understand your risk? Liability and third-party evaluations in civil litigation.

Many psychiatrists believe that there is little or no liability associated with conducting examinations at the request of a third party or with providing testimony in civil litigation. Case law has demonstrated otherwise. Psychiatrists conducting independent medical examinations (IMEs) may be vulnerable to tort lawsuits by either the evaluee or the third party who commissions the IME.

Psychiatric employment evaluations and theHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

This review was intended to familiarize psychiatrists with the implications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 on the provision of third-party employment evaluations. Understanding the provisions of the act relative to third-party evaluations can assist psychiatrists in avoiding some of the conflicts that arise in performing such evaluations.

Formal training in women's issues in psychiatry: a survey of psychiatry residency training directors.

Objective: The authors describe the availability of formal residency training opportunities in women's issues in psychiatry and explore the potential relationships between the availability of training and characteristics of residency programs.

Method: The authors surveyed psychiatry residency training directors to identify program characteristics and training opportunities.

Results: Certain didactic subjects were available in greater than 80% of residencies.