The Devil You Know Encounters in Forensic Psychiatry

A look under the surface.

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There is no therapy that fits every patient, trained as a forensic psychiatrist, Dr Gwen Adshead begins every new meeting with an open mind. During the years of her work, as her experience grows, she also learns that the first appearance might not be as it is. With time she develops a sense to look behind the curtain of the complex minds of every patient. Despite the strict regulations of the government, Adshead always tries to offer the most suitable therapy. And also shows clearly how difficult her job can be with the lack of funding, sometimes it’s really fighting against windmills. From her point of view, every patient in need should be able to receive treatment, not just the ones the state thinks are more suitable. I find her work very impressive, you feel that the patients are more than just a name on her list, she really cares for them. In some cases, it just takes more time to reveal the truth, but only if the patient is also ready to cooperate. All in all an interesting topic, but it took me some time to finish it. I actually took a break in between and came back to it later. The parts where Adshead explains the scientific background are too lengthy to have kept me engaged. So I took each of the twelve chapters one at a time. But the insight in a forensic psychiatrist’s work is nevertheless fascinating, something you wouldn’t know otherwise. You get a glimpse behind prison walls and be present in the treatment room.