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The Defendant Psychiatrist as Witness

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Malpractice and Liability in Psychiatry
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Abstract

A defendant’s testimony in a malpractice case can be given as a written statement in response to an interrogatory, as an oral statement at a pre-trial deposition, or during the actual trial. How a defendant prepares and provides testimony will change depending on the setting. This chapter will review how to prepare for each situation, questions to ask the attorney ahead of time, and possibly what to expect from plaintiff’s counsel. In addition, this chapter will cover terms that maybe used at varying stages of the process and questions that may be asked and provide general suggestions on how to respond and behave. No matter where testimony is given, it is important to remember to answer honestly, in a concise manner, and to remain in control of emotions and demeanor.

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Correspondence to Terri Day .

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Hall, R.C.W., Day, T. (2022). The Defendant Psychiatrist as Witness. In: Ash, P., Frierson, R.L., Friedman, S.H. (eds) Malpractice and Liability in Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91975-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91975-7_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-91974-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-91975-7

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