ABSTRACT
In forensic neuropsychiatric examinations, in most instances, the written report will be the most important work product following the examination. Virtually all cases referred from a court, and most cases referred from attorneys, will require the preparation of written reports. Reports of forensic evaluations differ in a number of important ways from reports prepared for use in traditional medical practice. The recipients of the forensic report will not be other physicians but legal persons and laypersons who may be unfamiliar generally with the language of neuropsychiatry and behavioral neurology. Moreover, the report content is much more likely to become part of the public domain, as part of a court record or through media coverage as a result of public court proceedings. Therefore, special care should be exercised when writing forensic medical reports.
