Special features of the outpatient forensic psychiatric examination in civil proceedings according to the Varna district court docket for the period 2007-2012

Abstract

Summary: In recent years, in connection with reconsideration of the place of forensic psychiatry among other expert sciences, the apparent deficit of research in the field of forensic psychiatric examination methodology has been noted. The outpatient forensic psychiatric examination as well as other court expertises are procedural tools for collecting and verifying evidence in criminal and civil proceedings. The aim of the article is to examine the peculiarities of an outpatient expertise and the difficulties in preparing the post-mortem forensic psychiatric examinations in civil proceedings. Material: 327 individuals, certified by experts with subsequent judgments delivered by Varna District Court for the period 2007-2012, were examined. Methods: a specially designed card for collecting data from the certified individuals surveyed by: forensic psychiatric examinations, parts of disease histories, psychological research, and court decisions. Results: a post-mortem expert opinion is particularly complex due to the absence of the object of study and the conclusion is based on evidence from the case file. In a number of cases, a common difficulty in preparing post-mortem forensic psychiatric examination is the absence of medical documentation. The objectification of the status of the individual under examination during the act or during the conclusion of a civil act in such circumstances is significantly complicated and it is impossible to characterize the individual and the mental health. This raises the question of creating a national electronic database that provides timely and reliable access in case of preparation documents of expert significance, as well as a single institute for forensic expertise.