Education and Training in Forensic Psychiatry

Abstract

There are two principal approaches to education and training in psychiatry and the law in the United States today, each with its own attractions and liabilities. The dominant mode is self-training by reading, participation in periodic continuing medical education programs, and the acquisition of personal experience by doing work in the field. Another approach that is becoming increasingly attractive, largely appeals to those physicians who are relatively recent graduates of residency training programs in clinical psychiatry: the formal, full-time fellowship training program under the auspices of a medical school. This article will characterize each of these two approaches and will provide information for those who seek further education and training in forensic psychiatry.