Clusters of Personality Disorders

The American Psychiatric Association organizes personality disorders by clusters. Cluster A is a category that describes individuals who are withdrawn and may engage in odd or eccentric behavior. The diagnoses include: Paranoid Personality Disorder An individual with this disorder suspects that others are exploiting, harming or deceiving him or her. They often suspect without justification Read More...

What is a personality disorder?

The American Psychiatric Association (2013) defines a personality disorder as an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of an individual’s culture. The personality traits are pervasive and inflexible. These individuals have difficulty with adaptation and relationships. Personality disorders usually appear in adolescence or early adulthood. They are stable Read More...

Seizures: 5 Things Every Criminal Attorney Should Know

1. Seizures also have a long list of causes, including: Seizure medication noncompliance Medications: Tricyclic Antidepressants, anticholinergics, lithium Brain conditions such as hydrocephalus, tumors, stroke (Can be delayed) Traumatic brain bleed (Can be delayed) Kidney Failure Strychnine – pesticide that can be mixed in with street drugs Other pesticides Electrolyte imbalance – especially sodium, potassium Read More...

Loss of Consciousness: 5 Things Every Criminal Attorney Should Know

Loss of Consciousness (LOC) 1. There is a long list of causes including: Alcohol or drug intoxication/overdose Seizures Diabetes Trauma Infection Psychogenic (i.e. panic attack) Stroke Dehydration Heart arrhythmia 2. Medical term for transient loss of consciousness (passing out) is “syncope” 3. LOC can occur without warning, or person may have symptoms that allude to the Read More...

Gunshot Wounds: 5 Things Every Criminal Attorney Should Know

1. MD’s get entrance/exit wrong about 50% of the time, per research – don’t go off of medical charts. Most doctors still go off of size of the wound, which is inaccurate. 2. Range of Fire can generally be determined by wound characteristics: Soot indicates the gun was fired within 0-6 inches; Tattooing indicates a range Read More...

Bruises: 5 Things Every Criminal Attorney Should Know

1. Dating bruises – bruises cannot be dated by color. IF yellow can be identified, one can determine that the bruise is at least 18 hours old. All other colors can be observed from the first minute until the bruise heals.  2. Raccoons eyes – bilateral black eyes. Can be a result of a skull fracture Read More...

Diabetes: 5 Things Every Criminal Attorney Should Know

Diabetes Types Type I Diabetes Mellitus – many people believe that Type I Diabetes is the kind you get as a child and if you get diabetes as an adult it is alway Type II. This is not entirely true. Diabetes Type I refers to the ability of the body to produce insulin, or rather Read More...

FASD: Legal Implications

Individuals with FASD have difficulty with assessment, judgment, and reasoning, and often repeat the same mistakes multiple times because of their disabilities. They also do not understand the consequences of their actions. These behavioral impairments make someone with FASD more likely to make bad decisions, trust the wrong people, and get in trouble with the Read More...

What are the effects of FASD?

The most serious and most common cause of mental retardation in the U.S. is fetal alcohol syndrome. The effects of FASD depend on the timing and frequency of alcohol consumption during the pregnancy. Some of the outcomes are: Abnormal facial features Growth defects Brain damage, including mental retardation Heart, lung, and kidney defects Hyperactivity and Read More...

FASD: Who is at risk?

If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, regardless of timing and amount, she is at risk of having a child with a FASD. Alcohol can affect an embryo before a woman knows she is pregnant. Women who drink early in pregnancy but stop when they discover they are pregnant are still at risk. Women Read More...