Forensic Psychiatry

Forensic Psychiatry

• Forensic psychiatry is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the mind and its relation to the law. The interface between psychiatry and the law is that certain psychiatric conditions do increase a person’s risk of committing a crime, and the stress related to the legal process predisposes one to mental illness.
• The role of the psychiatrist is to assess and describe the mental attributes, and provide the court with information that serves as expert witness.
• The MNTRH Forensic Department is a facility where offenders are brought for mental health assessment, observation and treatment.
  Forensic clinic days are Mondays and Tuesdays where bookings are done for clients referred by the county psychiatrists. Here the offender is assessed for their mental state, treatment is recommended accordingly and a mental health assessment report is written.
• In-patient/Maximum Security Unit (MSU) at the Hospital is a secure, 218 bed facility that admits, assesses, treats and rehabilitates individuals who are assessed at the Forensic Clinic and found requiring in-patient care. Services offered include psychiatrist services, probation reporting that helps with social enquiry, psychotherapy and occupational therapy. Once the client stabilizes the doctor writes to the respective court to collect the client and continue with the legal process.