Medical - Psychiatry experts

Introduction

Experts in this field are professionals in the field of psychiatry. These professionals are psychiatric professionals who specialise in mental health, treating disorders of mood, behaviour, cognition, and perception. Unlike psychologists, a psychiatrist can prescribe medication and usually treats more severe conditions such as schizophrenia.

The field has a long history going back before Freud, and has had a number of controversies in eras where understanding of the brain was more primitive.

Today there are many branches within psychiatry where psychiatrists can specialise in: clinical psychiatry, addiction disorders, brain injuries, epilepsy, forensic psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, palliative medicine, pain medication, sleep disorders, etc.

Psychiatrists can treat many mental disorders, conditions, and syndromes, the main ones being:

• depression
• anxiety disorders e.g. panic attacks, chronic stress, and phobias
• bipolar disorder
• schizophrenia spectrum and related psychotic disorders
• eating disorders e.g. anorexia and bulimia
• drug, alcohol, gambling, computer game, social media, or other addictions
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD) such as hand-washing, counting, and hoarding
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• neurodevelopmental disorders
• dissasociative disorders
• somatic symptom disorders
• elimination disorders
• sleep-wake disorders
• sexual dysfunctions
• gender dysphoria
• disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders
• neurocognitive disorders
• personality disorders
• paraphilic disorders
• Tourette’s syndrome
  

Psychiatrists must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Psychiatrists can be of great help to the legal process. They are able to make specialised claims regarding an individual's mental behaviour based on years of acquired knowledge developed through both research and expert experience. Most psychiatrists will have come from a background of psychology and science which lends themselves to a scientific and empirical basis for their conclusions. The specific background and specialisations of your psychiatrist will be determined by the circumstances and facts of the matter with which you want to examine.

At the bottom of this profile are brief details of a number of the experts that Expert Experts represents. Call our office to discuss your requirements and to obtain a recommendation that suits your needs and budget.

Expertise in Action

Psychiatrists are often required to provide expert opinion in cases that relate to mental health or other cases that may have social, experimental, cognitive or developmental complications. Specifically, expert witnesses may be required to provide an opinion on cognitive capacity and the degree of impairment.

These highly knowledgeable and experienced experts regularly work on civil or criminal cases that have the events of abuse, violence, personality disorders, or memory conformity.

Psychiatrists may also provide an opinion in the event of medical malpractice, which in some cases might be concerning with misdiagnosis, patient neglect, prescribing inappropriate medicine, failure to warn of side-effects, and failure to refer to a specialist.

Workers compensation is another area that may require the opinion of an expert psychiatrist where the work environment may have adverse effects on the mental well-being of
employees (stress, bullying, excessive noise, danger, etc)

Sample Reports

For some fields of expertise we have some sample sections of de-identified reports. Please contact our office if you are interested in a sample.

Cost

The overall cost of expert opinion depends on the services required. Some of the key factors that affect the cost of advice include:

• The need for a view or inspection of a location
• The quantity of documentary material to be reviewed
• Whether there are reports of other experts to be reviewed and commented on in detail
• Whether there is a need for conferences with the expert either in person or by telephone/Skype

Relevant Articles Low mental health legal representation in regional Victoria affects patient outcomes, Legal Aid says

Victoria Legal Aid has called for improved legal representation for mentally ill patients facing the state's tribunal over treatment options. The legal service said one of its specialist mental health lawyers in regional Victoria had been covering multiple country towns. Figures from Legal Aid show in the last six months of 2017, there were 169 mental health hearings for Bendigo and its specialist lawyer could not attend all of them.

‘Structure’ will help NSW cope mentally with lockdown: Chief Psychiatrist

An interesting article whereby NSW's 2021 Chief Psychiatrist states that residents should maintain a 'structure' in their actions in order to minimise negative impacts lockdown has on mental wellbeing.

Relevant Cases Naidoo v Brisbane Waters Administration Pty Ltd trading as Brisbane Waters Private Hospital [2017] NSWDC 372

A patient was discharged by a psychiatrist from hospital, sedated and tired, and subsequently became involved in a motor vehicle accident. The primary issue was the duty of care owed to her. Many expert witnesses were relied upon.

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