title: The impossible dialogue between psychiatry and the judicial system: a language problem.
abstract: The interface between psychiatry and law is complex and has the potential for gross misunderstanding. Each discipline has its own concerns with regard to the psychiatric patient, and there is a significant language gap between the two disciplines. The language of the medical discipline describes the patient's state on a continuum that ranges from extremely ill to completely healthy. The judicial language, on the other hand, is a binary language: the patient is either competent or incompetent, either dangerous or not dangerous. This article describes three potential areas for discourse in the Israeli context: involuntary hospitalization, criminal responsibility and legal representation of involuntarily hospitalized patients. The two systems can be complementary only if both sides make a serious effort to communicate and respect each other's principles and language.
authors.affiliation: Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel. zzemishlany@clalit.org.il
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zemishlany
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Melamed
mesh_terms: D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000941:ethics; D007298:Insanity Defense; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics; D007557:Israel; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012941:Social Responsibility