Does Childhood Trauma Lead To Criminal Behavior?
How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Relate to Criminal Behavior This article is the first in a series about the effects of stressful and traumatic events in a child’s life and its relationship to the likelihood of this child committing serious, violent crimes later in life. These events can include such things as physical abuse, sexual […]
Medically Conscious but Legally Unconscious?
Conscious or Unconscious? Can someone be medically conscious but considered legally unconscious? What an interesting conundrum! According to the Oxford Dictionary, “unconsciousness is the state of being unconscious or the state of being uninformed or unaware” and “automatism is the performance of actions without conscious thought or intention, involuntary” (Oxford English Dictionary, 2021). Even in […]
Effect of Brain Damage on Personality
How can brain damage be used to create reasonable doubt? In 1990, a 40-year-old schoolteacher suddenly began using prostitutes and making inappropriate advances to his stepdaughter. The courts ordered him to go to Sexaholics Anonymous or go to prison. He failed the program because he kept asking people for sex. The hospital found a large […]
Did COVID-19 Bring a Higher Risk of Abuse?
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic people have been told to stay at home for their own safety and the safety of others. Could there be a higher risk of abuse? What about those people who are victims of domestic violence? How are they faring at home? Is home a safe place for victims […]
Fracture from Child Abuse or Bone Disease?
Unexplained Fracture from Child Abuse or Bone Disease? Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a profoundly serious problem that has implications and consequences affecting the child and his family for the rest of their lives, both mentally and physically, and potentially financially. The welfare of the child is a top priority in these cases so […]
Projectile Injury During a Protest
A Literature Review of “Death, injury and disability from kinetic impact projectiles in crowd-control settings: a systematic review” (Haar, Iacopino, Ranadive, Dandu, & Weiser, 2017) According to a review of worldwide literature (26 articles) between 1990 and 2017 regarding deaths, injuries, and permanent disability from rubber and plastic bullets, bean bag rounds, shot pellets, and […]
Methamphetamine in Combination with Other Drugs and Violent Behavior
Methamphetamine Usage Methamphetamine (meth) is a widely used, powerful stimulant which acts upon the central nervous system. Other names for meth include speed, crank, ice, crystal, and glass. It gives the user a sense of well-being, increased alertness, and energy but it is highly addictive and can cause serious harm to both mental and physical […]
Pathological Fractures in Spinal Cord Injury Patients
What is a pathological fracture? Spinal cord injuries cause life-altering paralysis of the limbs and place the patient at risk for long term complications, including pathological fractures. A pathological fracture is a broken bone that is caused by disease, rather than injury. After a person suffers a spinal cord injury, they have immediate bone loss […]
Auto Brewery Syndrome
What is ABS? Auto brewery syndrome is a rare condition in which the gastrointestinal system produces ethanol through fermentation by fungi or bacteria in the gut. Normal digestion does produce some ethanol, but this process can become pathologic, producing so much that blood alcohol levels are detected. People with ABS can exhibit signs and symptoms […]
Considerations in Child Abuse Cases
Is It Abuse? Allegations of child abuse have very serious implications for all parties involved. The importance of a thorough history of the injury, medical history of the child, and a complete medical work-up are crucial to determine the most likely cause of the injury or injuries to the child. The following information was gleaned […]
