Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Law
Factitious Disorders And Trauma-Related Diagnoses, Daniel Brown, Alan Scheflin
Factitious Disorders And Trauma-Related Diagnoses, Daniel Brown, Alan Scheflin
Faculty Publications
The recent plethora of lawsuits involving allegations of iatrogenically implanted memories of satanic ritual abuse and other traumas has highlighted the existence of a unique group of psychiatric patients. Although these patients are often successful at deceiving therapists (and sometimes juries), the case studies in this special issue reveal the chronic nature of their propensity to invent traumatic identities and past histories. The core clinical features of affect dysregulation, somatization, and impaired object relations, together with frequent histories of alcohol and substance abuse, parallel the psychiatric co-morbidity frequently found in genuine trauma victims. These case studies also point to early …
The False Litigant Syndrome: "Nobody Would Say That Unless It Was The Truth", Alan Scheflin, Daniel Brown
The False Litigant Syndrome: "Nobody Would Say That Unless It Was The Truth", Alan Scheflin, Daniel Brown
Faculty Publications
In this article we intend to focus on the narrow but increasingly more signif icant issue of retractors in malpractice actions against therapists. It is generally believed that people do not make confessions unless they are actually guilty. It is also generally believed that retractors who recant their earlier statements must now be telling the truth. Courts have allowed expert testimony to be admitted on the issue of why people will falsely confess. In this paper we argue that expert testimony on why people falsely recant should also be admissible.