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Biomedical subjects

S V Levine

Publications and source records attributed to S V Levine.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1983

The role of the mental health expert witness in family law disputes.

Mental health professionals are frequently called upon to appear in Family Court as Expert Witnesses in order to help the judge make difficult decisions in disputed cases, involving issues like custody, access and abuse. The adversary system often serves to intimidate or to antagonize the expert witness, or to render his/her judgment as suspect and even invalid. An approach is suggested in which the expert is designated as an "amicus curiae" (impartial friend of the court), rather than as a "hired gun" by one of the disputants. Even with this procedure, however, the expert witness must possess specific personal and professional characteristics which lend credibility to his/her testimony. The work is difficult, and requires considerable knowledge and skill; the responsibilities are heavy, but the opportunity to do exciting and vital work on behalf of children and families make it more than worthwhile.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The anxieties of adolescents.

The Canadian nationally syndicated newspaper column entitled "Youth Clinic" during a four-year period received over 4,000 letters from young people. This article highlights the prominent themes of these letters and points out the recurrent concerns of those youth who are predisposed to writing. The most common themes have to do with the adolescents' sense of isolation from peers and adults. The difficulties in adequately responding to genuine but anonymous letters, the problems inherent in only publishing a small proportion of the letters received, and the potential uses of such a column, are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Cults and mental health: clinical conclusions.

The field of cults and their relation to psychological and psychiatric disorder is reft with rhetoric and opinion. There has been a particular dearth of documentation and substantiated data supporting psychiatric opinion. As a result of considerable research, clinical work, and an extensive literature review, certain conclusions or strongly suggested positions are enunciated. An attempt is made to substantiate each of the ten assertions based on existing data, in the hope that they will clarify the muddy existing data, area, make clinical positions and interventions more soundly based, and inspire debate and heuristic efforts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Role of psychiatry in the phenomenon of cults.

Religious cults and particularly their attraction for young people are receiving increased attention. There is currently considerable controversy about the role of governmental bodies in understanding and regulating cults and their effect on members. Regardless of their effect on the members of the cult or movement, particularly new members who are often adolescents, membership in a cult produces severe familial tensions. The cult members often develop opinions and modes of behaviour so diametrically different from their families of origin that psychiatrists are often consulted with the view to understand, treat and correct what is seen as behavioural aberration by the families. The phenomenon of religious cults does not seem to be of a passing nature and it is therefore imperative that psychiatrists have a comprehensive and clear a knowledge of the concepts and activities of cults, their seeming effects on young people and their families, and some of the reactions they have caused in society.

Adolescent↗