Department of Psychiatry, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
J Forensic Sci. 2024 Sep;69(5):1782-1788. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15567. Epub 2024 Jun 14.
Pathological dissociation is relatively common in the United States and may be associated with violent or criminal behavior. Dissociative Disorders, especially Dissociative Identity Disorder, are considered controversial diagnoses by some in the psychiatric and legal professions. Individuals who offend during dissociative states may not be criminally responsible if they meet the legal standard for insanity, however, insanity pleas based on dissociative symptoms are rare. This review examined Federal appellate case law for potential legal barriers to the insanity defense for dissociative conditions and any restrictions imposed on related expert evidence. Few rulings directly addressed these questions but there do not appear to be any unique barriers for dissociation-related insanity pleas. Some cases provided valuable insights regarding the admission of expert evidence, effective expert testimony, and the role of defense counsel.
病理性分离在 美国较为常见，可能与暴力或犯罪行为有关。一些精神科和法律专业人士认为，分离性障碍，尤其是分离性身份障碍，是有争议的诊断。在分离状态下犯罪的人，如果符合精神错乱的法定标准，可能无需承担刑事责任，但是基于分离症状的精神错乱抗辩很少见。本综述审查了联邦上诉案例法，以确定分离性障碍的精神错乱辩护可能存在的法律障碍，以及对相关专家证据施加的任何限制。很少有裁决直接涉及这些问题，但似乎没有针对与分离相关的精神错乱抗辩的独特障碍。一些案件为专家证据的采纳、有效专家证言以及辩护律师的角色提供了有价值的见解。
