Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Study

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on numerous occasions has been utilized as a fortification for criminal defenses. These defensive pleas range from self-defense, weakened capacity, sentencing extenuation, insentience, and insanity or irrationality (Berger, McNiel, & Binder, 2012). In the process of inspecting relative case laws that include scenarios where the ailment is issued as a criminal defense, and the varied treatment in the judicial system. It appears that the judicial system hasn’t always favored the approach of using PTSD as a testimony to be used as a defense in some cases. This is entirely accurate when the demonstration provided to the court fails to relate the condition of PTSD, and how it meets the conditions for the specified defense. Under
This disorder is usually brought on by catastrophic events such as sexual or domestic abuse, war, or even the traumatic loss of a loved one, that occurred in the affected individual’s life (Association, 1999). In the case of relating the mental illness to law, it can be recognized that the disorder can greatly influence the mental capacity and capabilities of an individual sensibility and behavior. Numerous studies on PTSD have allowed mental health specialists to be able to identify it as a serious mental disorder and have since, shed some light on the detrimental effects towards an individual’s mental capacity. This has allowed the law system to have a better understanding on the appropriate way to approach cases involving an individual who was previously diagnosed with PTSD. This means that the afflicted individual will have a different set of standards and judged accordingly, as oppose to individuals who are deemed rational and coherent (Association,