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Biomedical subjects

G B Palermo

Publications and source records attributed to G B Palermo.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Transinstitutionalization and an overburdened judicial system.

The author discusses punishment in the United States in the context of increasing transinstitutionalization. He believes that the administration of justice has become more complex, in part because of plea bargaining and pleading reforms, often does not allow the application of judicial fairness, and has lost its deterrent effect on criminal offenders. He proposes the necessity for a reorganization of the roles of the various social institutions.

Crime↗
PubMed1997

Murder-suicide of the jealous paranoia type: a multicenter statistical pilot study.

The authors present a pilot statistical study of murder-suicide comprising 32 cases from the years 1990-1992, collected from the offices of the medical examiners of seven counties in five of the United States. The study includes brief reviews of previous statistical surveys of murder, murder-suicide, and suicide. This present study's conclusions parallel the findings of previous research on the demographic characteristics of the perpetrators of murder-suicide, the relationship between killers and victims, the types of weapon used, locations of the incidents, and the time intervals between the murder and suicide. It also highlights the similarities between the characteristics of the perpetrator of murder-suicide and those of persons who commit only suicide, supporting the thesis that murder-suicide is an extended suicide. Suggestions for prevention of such a type of crime are offered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Malingering a challenge for the forensic examiner.

After pointing out that spoken and non-verbal language are the primary means of communication in interpersonal dialogue, and especially in a forensic criminological examination, the authors present malingering in a legal context from an historical and psychodynamic- ontogenetic point of view. Diagnostic characteristics of malingering are reported in a review of previous studies. Latest psychological testing is presented. The authors express their professional opinion that malingering in a criminological forensic setting should be divested of the aura of deviousness and manipulation acquired throughout the past years. They propose that it is a defensive reaction to which a person charged with a crime resorts when under the stress of facing the legal consequences of wrongdoing. They view malingering in a forensic setting as regressive behavior to a childhood or adolescent stage, not to condone or justify it, but in an attempt to bring about better communication between examiner and examinee.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Trial by jury; a pilot study of juror perception of mental health professional testimony in NGRI pleas for first degree international homicide.

The authors present a pilot statistical study of the way in which jurors perceived psychiatric/psychological expert testimony in ten court trials for first degree intentional homicide in which a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect had been entered. The reader is offered a short history of the insanity defense, of the trial by jury, and a discussion of the desired professional and personality prerequisites looked for in choosing a mental health expert. The study is based on a detailed protocol devised by two of the authors--a forensic psychiatrist and a psychologist--assessing various parameters of the professionality and demeanor of the experts on the basis of a statistically valid number of juror responses to the questionnaire. The results show that the jurors perceived the expert testimony as a useful, but not determinant factor when reaching their verdict. This is consonant with the definition of the rationale for using expert testimony as given by the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Death by inmate--multiple murder in a maximum security prison.

The authors report the killing of two inmates by a third inmate in a maximum security prison in the State of Wisconsin. All three had been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, and one as a notorious serial killer. They touch on the variables of jail/prison overcrowding, the psycho-social traits and psychopathology of inmates, and their ethnicity as potential factors in violent crimes. They conclude that the selection of inmate housing should take into consideration the past history, the personality and the possible psychopathology of the inmate.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The last invasion of human privacy and its psychological consequences on survivors: a critique of the practice of embalming.

In spite of the fact that it is required only occasionally for sanitary reasons and not legally mandatory, the practice of embalming is widespread in contemporary American society. This study explores the historical, cultural and psychological factors which gave rise to the practice of embalming and why the practice continues. Two case studies are presented in which delayed grief reactions were present; linkages with embalming are described. It is suggested that the frightening finitude of the self and a fear of death in modern society have led to practices in which the corpse is viewed as looking "natural," thus denying the reality of death. Embalming is seen as the final assault on the self, which can also carry with it problematic psychological consequences for the survivors.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1991

The 1978 Italian mental health law--a personal evaluation: a review.

The author discusses the sociopsychiatric consequences of the 1978 Italian mental health law. He also reviews the international scientific ideas that led up to it. The sociopolitical psychiatric views of the late Franco Basaglia, pioneer of the change in the mental health system of the Italian Republic, are described. Statistical reports and critical analyses are reported. Objective data, based on the author's personal experience as a practising psychiatrist in Rome, Italy, from 1969 to 1987, are given.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1991

On the predictability of violent behavior: considerations and guidelines.

Following a semantic discussion of dangerousness, and having established its dynamic concept, the authors define the prediction of dangerous behavior as the anticipation of an antisocial act towards others. The present-day dilemma of predicting dangerous behavior is discussed. An extensive review of sociological and psychiatric studies is presented. Further, the authors stress the vital importance of predicting violent behavior in view of statistical data concerning rampant violent crime in the United States. They encourage more cooperation between psychiatric experts and the judicial system in view of the common social problem all are faced with. Better diagnostic procedures and more logically deductive factual expert reports are hoped for. The authors postulate that prediction is strictly connected with the possible prevention of dangerous behavior and the continuation of a civilized, secure society.

Aggression↗
PubMed1990

On psychotherapist-patient sex: discussion paper.

The transference phenomenon as central to the problem of sex between psychotherapist and patient is discussed. Socio-semantic factors related to the evolution of psychotherapy from Freud to the present are presented. Contemporary pertinent studies are reported. Societal and legal attitudes towards offending therapists are briefly touched upon. Reflections are made and suggestions are offered for dealing with this serious issue.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical diagnostic considerations on cocaine abuse.

Following a review of the research literature on the psychophysiological effects of cocaine, a study is described of a group of 120 cocaine addicts. Of the 120 patients, 10 (8.33%) exhibited fleeting, unformed, organic delusions and hallucinations. Case reports of the 10 cases are presented. The quality of the adverse subjective effects of cocaine is emphasized, and the differential diagnosis between Cocaine Delusional Disorder and Paranoid Schizophrenia is discussed. Guidelines for a more accurate differential diagnosis are provided.

Adult↗