Rules for Writing Report of the Forensic Mental Health Professional

The role of an independent forensic psychologist or an independent medical examiner is to critically undertake an expert review of the underlying cause of personal injury and to perform personal expert cause of personal injury. A forensic examiner or psychologist is tasked with the primary mandate of focusing on the causative agent of a personal injury without necessarily using the underlying results.

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Discuss several key elements that the forensic mental health professional would want to include in the report

The following are some of the contemporary elements that a forensic health professional includes in the report;

The effects resulting from claimants psychological injuries given his or her ability to work; a forensic expert will state whether the injured individual will be able to deliver his or her mandate at work soon after the personal injury. The accident might impair his or her functionality at the workplace and therefore affect related ability at the workplace.

Related treatment for the psychological injuries; the duty of a forensic expert is to evaluate the associated treatment cost for the psychological injuries and present it to the legal team.

The psychological suffering that arises out of the given accident and related consequences, i.e. loss of amenity, financial difficulties, psychical injury, unemployment, among others.

Associated long-term effects of the accident (ability to work, future mental health, and life expectancy). A forensic psychologist critically evaluates and recommends to the legal team the adverse effects that might affect the stability of the accident victim.

The prognosis for the claimants psychological injuries

And on occasional circumstances, liability. A forensic expert will give his or her expert opinion in an instance where there is an allegation of negligent action in a case of the psychological procedure by a defendant.

Identify the legal entity or stakeholder (e.g., defense attorney) who might request each type of assessment report and explain the potential reasons for the requests. In other words, what might the forensic professional add to an understanding of the case beyond what is generally known by laypeople?

The defense attorney, plaintiff attorney, and prosecution team are the main players who will have primary access to the assessment report by the forensic expert. The potential reasons for the requests are to critically review the reports and make affirmative recommendations to as far as the case is concerned. The primary use of the report from the defense attorney is to identify the gap that the case might be lacking and use it in favor of its defense.

A forensic expert will use his or her technical ability to determine the nature, cause, and extent of the injury and present it as it is.

Describe the assessments that are utilized to write the reports

Assessments are diverse; this is with respect to the nature of the injury sustained by the plaintiff. Some of the assessments that are used to write the reports include; field interviews, injury or accident specimen, witnesses encounters. All these assessments are compiled and are used to develop a comprehensive report for the case.

Identify the limitations of the reports

The primary limitation of such reports is a lack of consistency from a witness angle; a witness may fail to present a reliable and consistent revelation of the incident. Therefore, this will majorly contribute to a bias incidence and might affect the reliability of the case.

Another limitation associated with the reports is the respective party that is concerned with the responsibility of picking the IME, the only transparent and accountable forensic expert is the one picked by the judge.

References;

Law Society (Great Britain). (2015). Medical negligence and personal injury claim: A protocol for obtaining hospital medical records. London: Professional & Legal Policy Directorate, Law Society.

Mardell, J., & College of Law (England and Wales). (2011). Personal injury and clinical negligence litigation. Guildford: College of Law.