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Pitfalls of Clinical Practice: The Treating Clinician as Expert Witness
| Content Provider | Scilit |
|---|---|
| Author | Schouten, Ronald |
| Copyright Year | 1993 |
| Description | Patients involved in legal proceedings may turn to their psychiatrists for testimony on their behalf. Because the treating psychiatrist has firsthand knowledge of a patient's condition, the patient may call the psychiatrist to testify as a fact witness. Fact witnesses testify on the basis of what they have seen or heard; they may not rely on what others have heard (hearsay) or offer expert opinions as evidence. Psychotherapist-patient privilege generally prevents the psychiatrist from testifying without the patient's permission; even in cases where permission is granted (by the patient), such testimony poses substantial hazard to the treatment. Once the privilege is broken, all matters are open to examination. For example, the patient who asks his or her psychiatrist to testify about the emotional harm suffered after an accident cannot then invoke the psychotherapist-patient privilege to prevent the doctor from discussing the patient's previous psychiatric hospitalizations. |
| Related Links | http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/10673229309017058 |
| Ending Page | 65 |
| Page Count | 2 |
| Starting Page | 64 |
| ISSN | 10673229 |
| e-ISSN | 14657309 |
| DOI | 10.3109/10673229309017058 |
| Journal | Harvard review of psychiatry |
| Issue Number | 1 |
| Volume Number | 1 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited |
| Publisher Date | 1993-05-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Journal: Harvard Review of Psychiatry Health Policy and Services Treatment Testimony Expert Witness Privilege Permission Psychiatrist Psychotherapist Heard Testify |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Psychiatry and Mental Health |
