Sherif Soliman

Planning, writing, and editing forensic psychiatric reports.

Forensic psychiatric reports are often the final product of a psychiatrists work in a particular case because most cases do not go to trial but instead are settled through negotiation or plea bargaining. This article addresses the planning, writing, and editing of forensic reports. Planning a report requires thorough data gathering, and thoughtful organization of the report into specific subheadings. Throughout the report there should be a clear separation of factual data from professional opinions. Ten pitfalls of report writing are identified. The most important part of the forensic report is the opinion section. The evidence for the opinion should begin with the strongest points and the reasons supporting the opinion should be completely explained. Finally, ethical issues are addressed.

One Piece of the Puzzle-Financial Exploitation and Elder Abuse

Elder Financial Exploitation is both a piece of the broader puzzle of elder abuse and a puzzle onto itself. Elder Financial Exploitation, “the illegal or improper use of an elder’s funds, property, or assets,” occurs both alone (pure financial exploitation) and in conjunction with other forms of elder abuse (hybrid financial exploitation). It consists of crimes of occasion, desperation, and predation. This chapter describes how elder financial exploitation fits into the broader matrix of elder abuse. It describes perpetrators, victims, and the psychodynamics of the perpetrator–victim relationship. It offers recommendations for integrating efforts to combat financial exploitation into elder abuse prevention efforts.