DEFENDANT (A PSYCHIATRIST ON TRAIL FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE)

Rating:
Summary: Psychiatry Meets the Law
Review: I happenned across this gem in a used bookstore, attracted by the content and the combination of two major institutions in America- medicine and law.

Although this non-fiction account of a psychiatrist being sued by a patient for medical malpractice was written in the mid 80's, I found it informative and thought-provoking, especially in the areas of mental illness, psychotherapy, and courtroom tactics and techniques.

A graduate student filed suit against her psychiatrist after a suicide attempt resulted in major injuries requiring her to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life. The plaintiff contended her doctor's psychotherapy was ineffective in preventing her from trying to kill herself, thus asserting that psychiatrist, Sara C. Charles was negligent and liable for damages.

The plaintiff had been given a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), considered by many in the mental health field, one of the most difficult conditions to treat, let alone understand and describe to a judge and jury. It was a challenging and stimulating experience to read descriptions and rationale for the plaintiff's behavior, the treatment strategies used by Dr. Sara Charles, and the difficulty the plaintiff's lawyer had in grasping the dynamics and essential features of BPD.

THE DEFENDANT should whet the historical appetites of reflective mental health professionals. It can broaden the views of present day therapists if they compare and contrast the perceptions and treatment of BPD in 1985 to those of today. Interested readers can speculate how effective newer treatment approaches, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, would be. Would it have helped the plaintiff regulate her moods, tolerate her distress and develop her sense of self-acceptance? Would it have had enough impact to prevent the tragic results of the plaintiff's self-destructive communication of her emotional pain? Interesting questions indeed. Questions and subject matter that arise for many satisfied readers of the well-written and highly recommended DEFENDANT.