Traumatic Brain Injury or Mental Illness?

TBI and Mental Illness What if a defendant commits a crime because of being affected by either an acute brain injury or an acquired or inherited brain disease? This is called the “brain defense.” In criminal cases, defense attorneys are increasingly using clinical evidence of brain injury to either establish their client’s innocence or mitigate Read More...

Anxiety: When Benzo’s Attack

Did you Know? Anxiety disorders develop from risk factors such as genetics, brain chemistry life events and personality. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. Approximately 40 million adults age 18 and older, are affected each year. This equates to about 18.1% of the United States population. Anxiety disorders are Read More...

What role does Hypoxia play in Criminal Cases? {Assault/Trauma}

For both prosecutors and defense attorneys, it’s often important to know the defendant’s state of mind to litigate the case. If a defendant has a medical condition or traumatic injury that could result in hypoxia it warrants further review by a medical expert to determine if the hypoxia was severe enough to change their mental Read More...

5 Things Criminal Attorneys Should Know About…Loss of Consciousness

This is the 4th out of 6 in this series of “5 things criminal attorneys should know about…” which I first posted a few years ago. Each month I highlight some areas of medicine that often cross into the criminal fields. This is not meant to be an in-depth review, but rather just bullet pointed Read More...

Heroin Withdrawal and Intent {Mental Health/Toxicology}

“What symptoms of Heroin withdrawal would affect the defendant’s ability to form intent?” Heroin use is a common thread within the criminal system and can become relevant in cases where the defendant’s ability to form intent is in question. Heroin intoxication is often the focus but withdrawal should also be considered. What follows is a Read More...