Sleep automatism: clinical study in forensic nursing.

The authors describe sleep automatism as it pertains to forensic nursing. A plea of sane automatism may result in an acquittal and, as a defense, creates a very interesting medical legal circumstance. A case study is presented to illustrate the necessity for nursing to know how to assess for this dissociative state, to understand the legal implications, and to identify nursing issues relevant to sleep automatism defenses. The clinical and personality characteristics on which evaluations should be based are also outlined.