title: [The concept of mental health deterioration in light of decisions by higher judicial bodies].
abstract: Important arrangements were made to protect an individuals' sexual safety in the Turkish Penal Code. During judgments of sexual crimes, the witnesses of medical experts are usually used for evidence collection and for researching whether the crimes were aggravated. Due to this, reports are frequently requested from all physicians in all fields of medicine in their daily clinical practices by judicial authorities. Following implementation of the new Turkish Penal Code, the concept of mental health deterioration was frequently discussed and is still a discussed topic in the fields of both law and medicine in terms of crimes against sexual immunity. It is believed that subjects discussed in this article will provide important information for both adult, child and adolescent mental health professionals in terms of drawing attention to the importance of the medicolegal evaluations which are frequently requested from psychiatrists in their daily clinical practice and in terms of providing an evaluation of the concept of mental health deterioration in light of judicial decisions. Regarding the process from the beginning of application to the present, prejudications reduce questions about how the concept must be evaluated and what the meaning of the concept is. In this study, the decisions of Higher Judicial Bodies were researched and situations relating to how concepts must be evaluated and the meaning of the concept of mental health deterioration today in accordance with the prejudications were presented.
authors.forename: Ahsen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Ekin Özgür
authors.initials: EÖ
authors.lastname: Aktaş
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005104:Expert Testimony; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D011570:Psychiatry; D011902:Rape; D014421:Turkey