Here are some stories where the capacity for one to make a decision has been questioned. Do you agree with the judgments that have been made? In a commentary of the UK perspective on Competency to Stand Trial written by Tim Exworthy, he discussed a Court of Appeal case which concerned a woman who… Read more »
Posts Categorised: Anxiety and Stress
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms
How to identify if someone has post-traumatic stress disorder? And are post-traumatic stress disorder signs easy to identify? Post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) occurs when a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event that leaves a strong impact on their memory and psyche. There is not a list of definable events that can lead to PTSD… Read more »
Fitness to Stand Trial
Considerations for fitness to stand trial Fitness to stand trial is also known as fitness to plead. This refers to whether a person: Has the capacity to understand criminal proceedings in court. Can understand what they are charged with. Can understand the court process. Can actively participate in a trial. Can understand and know when… Read more »
The post-legal age for experts
So he we are; 3 years ago I was so busy doing family court reports I could not stop to think. Now I do hardly any. Quite a lot of enquiries; quite a lot of ‘beauty parades’. Some litigants in person, some private law work but the public law stuff is down to a trickle…. Read more »
Legal Aid Cuts and Family Experts
From the point of view of an expert, the legal aid cuts are affecting us in a number of different ways. Firstly 10% of the Consortium of Expert Witnesses to the Family Courts have closed down their offices already. Secondly we can expect a significant number of experienced experts to cease work over the next… Read more »
Stress – what can I do about it?
One person’s stress is another person’s reason for getting up in the morning. In other words stress is a very personal thing. Some people we know seem to thrive on tight deadlines, last minute meetings and the like yet that same person might find a visit to their mother-in-law terribly stressful. In order to try… Read more »
Is mental illness hereditary?
Eye colour is inherited from ones parents in a completely predictable way and so are a number of so-called genetic illnesses. This is not the case for any mental illnesses. For some mental illnesses it does matter who your parents are but you cannot predict in the same way as eye colour what effect this… Read more »
Insomnia – does medication help?
Insomnia means literally not being able to sleep but the term includes a whole range of difficulties associated with sleep. For most people having a bad night’s sleep is not the end of the world but some people seem to ‘need their sleep’ more than others. The body usually adapts to a single bad night… Read more »
How much alcohol is it safe to drink?
There was a time when it was considered macho to drink as much as possible before driving, and hope that you were not stopped by the police. These days this type of behaviour is considered both foolish, and dangerous, and there is an understanding that drinking and driving don’t mix. Up until recently the standard… Read more »
Bulimia – how to deal with someone who you think has it
Bulimia has its origins in the same mind-set as anorexia and is not that uncommon particularly in young women. As with anorexia it is based on a fear of fatness but the affected person tends to be of normal weight. This is because the person alternates over-eating (sometimes called binge-eating) with a method of shedding… Read more »