Forensic Psychiatry: An Indian Perspective
Author : Dr RC Jiloha, Dr Prerna Kukreti, Dr Dinesh Kataria
Publisher : JAYPEE Brothers Medical, Rs 1,295
This book is ideal for those interested in the field of Forensic Psychiatry, which is still in a nascent stage in the country. It deals with related legal implications that students and clinicians need to understand well, writes ARCHANA JYOTI
For long, the primary role of a forensic psychiatrist has been the treatment of offenders who committed crime when mentally ill or became unwell when in prison. In recent years, however, as the focus of Forensic Psychiatry has increasingly moved from institution to community welfare, one of the many demands made on the clinicians is keeping up to date with the ever-increasing pace of developments, particularly with the legal aspects in the sector. This is all the more relevant if one keeps the ‘patient-centric Mental Healthcare Act of 2017’ in mind. Psychiatrists feel that this Act is likely to increase the caregiver’s involvement with the patient. It will also increase the cost of mental health services, and add legalities that may lead to defensive practice and more paper work.
This is where the book, Forensic Psychiatry: An Indian Perspective, penned down by well known psychiatrists Dr RC Jiloha, Dr Prerna Kukreti and Dr Dinesh Kataria, comes handy. The book is structured, focused and lucid. As has been rightly pointed out by Dr Amita Dhanda, Professor and Head at the Centre for Disabilities Studies, Centre for legal Philosophy and Justice Education, NAlSAR University of law, Hyderabad, in the foreword of the book, the book comprehensively maps out the various sectors in which law and psychiatry intersect with each other in a democratic polity.
The authors have tried to render the task manageable and the information accessible. They have divided the book into eight sections comprising of 39 chapters focusing on different dimensions of Forensic Psychiatry. Some of these are: Conflict with criminal laws, testamentary capacity, marriage issues, sexual perversions, fitness to work, and ethical issues dealing with confidentiality and privileged communication. Section II focuses on mediological responsibilities in doctor-patient relationship. And Section VIII examines a range of issues such as organ transplantation and euthanasia which have relevance to mental health. “This book should be perused not only to know what the law is but also to reflect upon what it ought to be,” Dhanda says further. It also aims to provide tips on testifying in legal matters.
The authors have made an effort not only to inform students and clinicians about the increasing use of their work in judicial contexts but also to prepare them for ethical and practical issues that can arise when their work enters the legal arena. While the field of Forensic Psychiatry is vast, the stream itself is in an infant stage. Hence, the authors have chosen only the crucial areas in which the importance of scientific concepts is occurring at a particularly rapid rate. The application of these concepts in day-to-day clinical practice is of paramount importance.
The book is user friendly within the mental health and legal context for which it is written. It can be used as a text book or as a reference book by students of Forensic Psychiatry to acquire basic skills in the susceptibility of Forensic Psychiatry and apply those skills in their day-to-day clinical practice. It has been divided into eight broad sections, further divided into 39 chapters. It gives a string of references citing medicolegal responsibility in cases dealing with victims of sexual offenses, suicides, sex reassignment surgery, organ transplantation and foreign nationals.
It examines various facets of mental health keeping the legal system of India and ethical issues in Forensic Psychiatry, in mind. It also gives updates on legal statues like MHCA 2017, Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 and Narcotics and Drugs Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA). This is an ideal text/reference work for clinicians handling the treatment and prognosis of psychiatric patients and for professionals involved in forensic science and toxicology, handling medicolegal cases with psychiatric implications. It is also useful for law officers, police personnel and officers of investigating agencies who are likely to be involved with cases of psychiatric affliction.
Various surveys have shown that mental disorders have become more common in India. This means there is a need for more and better services in the field of Forensic Psychiatry. But again, the stream is still in its infancy in India. According to a study conducted at Bangalore’s National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in 2016, across 12 different states, the prevalence of depression for both current and lifetime is 2.7 per cent and 5.2 per cent, respectively. Approximately 1 in 40 and 1 in 20 people are suffering from past and current episodes of depression all over the country. This survey has shown that lifetime prevalence of mental disorder is 13.7 per cent on the whole, which would mean at that least 150 million Indians are in the need for an urgent intervention.
Recipient of several prestigious awards for his exemplary work in mental health, Dr RC Jiloha, the lead author of the book is Professor and Head of the Psychiatry Department at Jamia Hamdard University. The co-authors are members of the Indian Psychiatry Society. Dr Prerna Kukreti is Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi. And Dinesh Kataria is the Head of the Department.