Behind the Couch

Abstract

U nder the light of the logic of patients, or under the glare of cross-examination, my journey brought the confusing intersection of psychiatry and law into full view for me. At first, as a new recruit to psychiatry, I blamed it all (or mostly) on the “other side.” The law seemed rigid and simplistic. The discourse of the judges and lawyers seemed circuitous, if not dishonest. Each case was presented as the obvious conclusion of a studious review of previous cases. But as I became studious enough myself to know some of the cases, I saw that their conclusions were twisted to support outcomes desired for other reasons.