Neuropsychiatry is the overlap between psychiatry, neurology, and medicine, and a subspecialty of psychiatry that deals with the psychological or behavioural problems in people, caused due to neurological conditions.
What does an neuropsychiatric expert witness do?
Neuropsychiatry expert witnesses specialise in the branch of medicine dealing with integrated neurological and psychiatric disorders and their management. Neuropsychiatrist expert witnesses specialise in providing medico-legal court reports for individuals and cases concerning neuropsychiatric symptoms. In the context of neurological disorders, these symptoms can manifest as functional, behavioural, or cognitive impairments. Neuropsychiatric symptoms can include psychosis, including delusions and hallucinations and behavioural changes including low mood, anxiety, disinhibition, aggression, disturbed sleeping and apathy.
What kind of conditions lead to neuropsychiatric symptoms?
Conditions leading to neuropsychiatric symptoms can include neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease, as well as acquired brain injuries and epilepsy. Neuropsychiatrists also treat patients with complex mental and psychiatric illnesses due to what’s known as organic causes – such as brain lesions or tumours.
Neurorehabilitation goals
In brain injury rehabilitation, neuropsychiatrists work as part of the interdisciplinary team to manage particularly complex behavioural problems. Neurobehavioural rehabilitation goals can include reducing risk and maximising independence and can benefit people with challenging behaviour patterns, including aggression due to dementia or disinhibition due to traumatic brain injury.
Instruct an expert witness today.
NRC Medical Experts provide the courts with the most trusted neurorehabilitation experts in the UK. Trust our deep understanding of neurorehabilitation to find the right expert witness for your case, every time. To instruct a neuropsychiatry expert witness, please contact us to discuss your case.