TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental Health Symptoms and their Relationship to Specific Deficits in Competency to Proceed to Trial Evaluations
AU - Gay, Jeremy G.
AU - Ragatz, Laurie
AU - Vitacco, Michael
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 The Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.
PY - 2015/9/3
Y1 - 2015/9/3
N2 - This study examined clinical, legal and social variables, and their relationship to forensic evaluators’ opinions of competency to stand trial on each of the three Dusky prongs (factual understanding of court proceedings, rational understanding of court proceedings and ability to assist one's counsel). Information was extracted from 257 competency to proceed to trial evaluations conducted between 2010 and 2013. Psychotic symptoms, intellectual disabilities and impairment in mental status (e.g., lack of orientation to person, place, time and/or situation) predicted opinions of not competent to stand trial across the Dusky competency prongs. However, the prongs were differentially related to mental health issues. Impaired mental status was associated with impairment on all three competency prongs. Delusions were associated with impaired rational understanding and impaired ability to assist one’s counsel. Finally, thought derailment and a diagnosis of mental retardation were associated with impaired factual understanding of court proceedings.
AB - This study examined clinical, legal and social variables, and their relationship to forensic evaluators’ opinions of competency to stand trial on each of the three Dusky prongs (factual understanding of court proceedings, rational understanding of court proceedings and ability to assist one's counsel). Information was extracted from 257 competency to proceed to trial evaluations conducted between 2010 and 2013. Psychotic symptoms, intellectual disabilities and impairment in mental status (e.g., lack of orientation to person, place, time and/or situation) predicted opinions of not competent to stand trial across the Dusky competency prongs. However, the prongs were differentially related to mental health issues. Impaired mental status was associated with impairment on all three competency prongs. Delusions were associated with impaired rational understanding and impaired ability to assist one’s counsel. Finally, thought derailment and a diagnosis of mental retardation were associated with impaired factual understanding of court proceedings.
KW - Dusky standard
KW - competency to stand trial
KW - restoration of competency
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U2 - 10.1080/13218719.2015.1013009
DO - 10.1080/13218719.2015.1013009
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84946490937
SN - 1321-8719
VL - 22
SP - 780
EP - 791
JO - Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
JF - Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
IS - 5
ER -