The Guide to Civil Psychiatric Assessment

The Guide to Civil Psychiatric Assessment has been written by Dr Michael Epstein, one of the most highly regarded psychiatrists in Australia in this area. He has worked in this field for many years and has distilled his experience into this book. There is little formal training for psychiatrists and psychologists with regard to civil assessment of claimants for workers compensation, transport accidents and civil liability claims. The Guide is in two parts. The first part provides a comprehensive introduction to the field and a complete account of the process of interviewing, writing a report and preparing an opinion that will withstand court scrutiny. He discusses particular areas of difficulty and describes the different methods of impairment assessment used in Australia and New Zealand. He has researched comments judges have made about psychiatric evidence and has suggestions about how psychiatrists can improve their skills in this field. The second part of the book provides resources on the different methods used in all the states and territories and in New Zealand for assessing psychiatric injury.  The Guide to Civil Psychiatric Assessment is essential reading for practitioners already working in the field and for those anticipating doing so. This book is unique and fills a significant void.