Forensic evaluations in psychiatry
Mr. A, a 38-year-old male, who was accused of homicide, was referred for assessment with questions, whether he was of unsound mind, and whether he can understand the proceedings of the court? His only complaint was of hearing barking dogs. He had been diagnosed as having schizophrenia in the jail hospital and held an old prescription from a general practitioner with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, which also mentioned about him having been hospitalized in a teaching psychiatric hospital in 1995. He was admitted for observation. A request was sent to the old hospital where he was admitted in the past. It was confirmed from the previous hospital that he was admitted there for about 2 weeks and had received a provisional diagnosis of schizophrenia. He had also attended the follow-up twice after discharge. However, during his current hospitalization, no abnormality could be found on observation and psychological assessment. He often came up with ‘I don’t know response’.\nMr. A probably believed that if he got a certificate from the hospital of his being mentally ill, he would be acquitted. He was always emphatic that he had not committed any crime, but was never able to tell how and why he reached the jail. He was able to give details of his earlier life in Mysore and Bangalore. A medical report was sent to the court, given as below:\n“Mr. A had suffered from a psychotic disorder in the past in …………. At present he does not have any psychiatric illness needing treatment. He does not give any details about the criminal charges he has been accused of or details regarding defense saying that he does not know. Objectively there is no significant memory impairment. There is no evidence to suggest that he is of unsound mind and he can’t understand the proceedings of court”.