Are there professional ethics to which forensic psychiatrists are expected to adhere?
Yes. Forensic psychiatrists are expected to adhere to the general ethics of the medical profession (e.g., the Oath of Hippocrates, the Oath of Geneva) and must meet many requirements of state licensing agencies. Most belong to one or more of the basic professional organizations of our profession (the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law [AAPL], the American Psychiatric Association [APA], and/or the American Medical Association [AMA]), which have formal codes of ethics. Specific sections of the American Medical Association Principles of Medical Ethics and their APA annotations refer to doctors who work in legal settings. The AAPL Code of Ethics focuses exclusively on forensic practice. Psychiatrists who stray from the above requirements, for example by acting dishonestly, may face public expulsion from their organizations and, in some cases, lose their professional certifications and licenses.
