Emotional Damages Episode 12 Recap: Brain, Behavior, and the Law—Dr. Michelle Ward on Psychopathy, Science, and Real-World Forensic Consulting

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In this episode of Emotional Damages, Dr. Mark Levy interviews Dr. Michelle Ward—neuroscientist, forensic psychologist, and host of Investigation Discovery’s “Mind of a Murderer” and the hit podcast “Look Who’s Stalking.” Dr. Ward shares candid stories from her pioneering research and courtroom consulting, revealing how science, genetics, and lived experience shape our evolving understanding of criminal behavior and risk.

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Emotional Damages Episode 11 Recap: Dr. Ashley VanDercar on Malingering, Violence Risk Factors, and Attorney-Expert Collaboration

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In this episode of Emotional Damages, Dr. Ambarin Faizi speaks with Dr. Ashley VanDercar, a forensic psychiatrist and attorney, whose dual training uniquely positions her at the crossroads of law and psychiatry. Together, they explore how attorneys and experts can collaborate to ensure forensic evaluations are not only clinically sound but legally precise.

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Emotional Damages Episode 10 Recap: Paraphilic Disorders, SVP Evaluation, and Risk Assessment—Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Brian Holoyda Explains What Attorneys Must Know

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Cases involving allegations of sexual violence or sexually deviant behaviors demand forensic precision, empathy, and a nuanced understanding of risk and diagnosis. In this week’s Emotional Damages, Dr. Ambarin Faizi interviews Dr. Brian Holoyda, one of the nation’s leading forensic psychiatrists on sexual violence risk assessment and paraphilic disorders.

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Emotional Damages Episode 9 Recap: Childhood Trauma in Litigation — Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Paul Elizondo on Development, Credibility, and the Courtroom

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Childhood trauma casts long shadows—on well-being, on family systems, and in legal disputes where psychiatric injury is at issue. In this episode of Emotional Damages, host Dr. Ambarin Faizi interviews Dr. Paul Elizondo, a triple board-certified psychiatrist with expertise in child, adolescent, and forensic psychiatry. Together, they unpack how trauma in childhood reverberates in forensic evaluations and courtroom settings.

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Emotional Damages Episode 4 Recap: Understanding ASD in Civil and Criminal Proceedings with Dr. Bryna Siegel

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is increasingly relevant in civil and criminal litigation, but misconceptions about the condition often complicate legal proceedings. In this episode of Emotional Damages, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Ambarin Faizi sits down with autism expert Dr. Bryna Siegel to explore how ASD is assessed in forensic cases and what attorneys need to know when handling autism-related claims.

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Emotional Damages Episode 3 Recap: Addressing Trauma from Childhood Sexual Abuse with Dr. Saldanha & Attorney Jon Daggett

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The third episode of Emotional Damages: Practical Insights into Forensic Psychiatry for Litigating Attorneys tackles one of the most challenging topics in forensic psychiatry and the law: addressing adult cases of childhood sexual abuse. Forensic psychiatrist and host Dr. Ambarin Faizi leads a compelling discussion with Dr. Charles Saldanha, Co-Medical Director of fpamed, and Attorney Jon Daggett, Managing Partner at Hiroshima & Daggett Law Firm.

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Heart Rate and Behavioral Medicine

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An interesting editorial in the October 2015 issue of JAMA Psychiatry entitled “Low Resting Heart Rate as an Unequivocal Risk Factor for Both the Perpetration of and Exposure to Violence” is a remarkable announcement of a biomarker for predicting which child or adolescent is most likely to behave violently and/or become a victim of violence. […]

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Infantile Amnesia – a mystery begins to be understood

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Thomas Insel, MD, the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, has written in his a blog a very interesting article about new research into the nature of Infantile Amnesia – the fact that adults cannot accurately retrieve memories of events and experiences (i.e., autobiographical memory) that occurred before age 4 years. As this […]

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Studies Mixed On Effects of Violent Video Games On Children

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Studies Mixed On Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children. The Los Angeles Times (5/3, Adams) reports, “A number of studies have shown that watching a lot of violence on television or playing violent video games…produces aggressive tendencies in kids.” However, “other researchers pooh-pooh such assertions and say that scientific findings have been decidedly mixed […]

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Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychiatry With Children and Adolescents

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By Richard A. Ratner, M.D. Psychiatric Times | December 2005 | Vol. XXIII | Issue 14 Any discussion of contemporary child and adolescent forensic psychiatry will eventually encompass considerations of the ethical underpinnings of this work. Ethical issues arise inevitably in clinical work with children and adolescents and are even more likely to surface in forensic settings. Download Ethical Issues […]

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