Hypothetical legal questions and the psychiatric expert

Abstract

The verbal interactions between the psychiatric expert and the other participants in court cases often center round hypothetical questions. This type of question aims:-To challenge the position presented by the psychiatrist in his/her medicolegal report or his/her verbal deposition-To clarify for the judge/s (the decision makers) the expert witness’ concepts and conclusions as they appear in his/her medicolegal report and verbal depositions The intention of this chapter is to foster the understanding of the meaning and uses of hypothetical questions in court and in this way to assist the psychiatrist expert to react in rationally and effectively when confronted with this type of questions. To facilitate the comprehension of the chapter, clinical examples and pertinent quotations from relevant literature are analyzed.