Psychological Injuries: Forensic Assessment, Treatment, and Law (American Psychology-Law Society Series)

Human emotional suffering has been studied for centuries, but the significance of psychological injuries within legal contexts has only recently been recognized. As the public becomes increasingly aware of the ways in which mental health affects physical - and financial - well-being, psychological injuries comprise a rapidly growing set of personal injury insurance claims. Although the diverse range of problems that people claim to suffer from are serious and often genuine, the largely subjective and unobservable nature of psychological conditions has led to much skepticism about the authenticity of psychological injury claims. Improved assessment methods and research on the economic and physical health consequences of psychological distress has resulted in exponential growth in the litigation related to such conditions.

Integrating the history of psychological injuries both from legal and mental health perspectives, this book offers compelling discussions of relevant statutory and case law. Focussing especially on posttraumatic stress disorder, it addresses the current status and empirical limitations of forensic assessments of psychological injuries and alerts readers to common vulnerabilities in expert evidence from mental health professionals. In addition, it also uses the latest empirical research to provide the best forensic methods for assessing both clinical conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder and for alternative explanations such as malingering. The authors offer state-of-the-art information on early intervention, psychological therapies, and pharmaceutical treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder and stimulating suggestions for further research into this complex phenomenon.

A comprehensive guide to psychological injuries, this book will be an indispensable resource for all mental health practitioners, researchers, and legal professionals who work with psychological injuries.

William Koch is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist whose practice and research interests involve psychological injuries. He lives in West Vancouver, British Columbia, and has appointments at both the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

Kevin Douglas is on faculty at Simon Fraser University. He has a PhD in clinical-forensic psychology, as well as a law degree. His research interests and professional activities focus on forensic assessment, and he has published 40+ chapters and articles within this area.

Tonia Nicholls is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Post Doctoral Fellow with the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Institute Against Family Violence. Her research and publications address issues of relevance to women and violence including, abuse in intimate relationships, violence risk assessments with mentally disordered women, psychopathy, and women in conflict with the law.

Melanie O'Neill is University College Professor at Malaspina University College in Nanimo, British Columbia. Her clinical and research interests focus on developing and refining treatments for anxiety disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). She maintains a small private practice that focuses exclusively on proving evidence based therapy for the anxiety disorders with individuals of all ages.