|
|
Article: Asperger's diagnosis is tenuous after a crime.(FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY)
- Article from:
- Clinical Psychiatry News
- Article date:
- April 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
SEATTLE -- Individuals with Asperger's syndrome seldom commit crimes, experts said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. But when they do, definitively diagnosing the disorder and mounting a legal defense can prove challenging.
"There is some suggestion that a small minority of people with autism may engage in problematic behaviors, and that may lead them into coming into contact with the criminal justice system," said Dr. Marc Woodbury-Smith, who is affiliated with the department of psychiatry and neurosciences at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.
For example, people with Asperger's syndrome comprise 1.5%-4.8% of ...