Mental Illness, Insanity, and Competency in Forensic Psychology

Vocabulary flashcards covering the distinctions between clinical mental illness and the legal standards of insanity and competency, alongside relevant case examples from the lecture.

Mental Illness

A clinical psychological concept defined by diagnostic criteria (e.g., DSM) and assessed by licensed professionals to describe a person's psychological disorders, symptoms, emotions, and functioning over time.

Insanity

A legal concept, defined by law and varying by jurisdiction, that evaluates whether a defendant was criminally responsible and understood their actions at the time of the crime.

Competency

A legal concept that evaluates whether a defendant understands the legal proceedings and can assist in their own defense at the time of the trial.

Schizophrenia

A clinical disorder listed in the DSM characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, disorganization, or catatonia, which can affect thought processes and behavior.

Comorbidity

The co-occurrence of more than one disorder in a single individual, such as experiencing both depression and anxiety.

Hinckley Shooting

The shooting of President Reagan, which resulted in the defendant being found not guilty by reason of insanity and served as a major turning point leading to increased objections to the insanity defense.

Battle of the Experts

A situation in court where opposing licensed mental health professionals provide conflicting diagnostic opinions or evaluations regarding a defendant's mental state.

James Holmes

A former neuroscience graduate student who shot 24 people in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater in 2012 and subsequently entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.