Individuals with mental health problems are considered to be part of a group labeled ‘vulnerable’ in forensic psychology literature and the legal system more generally. In producing witness statements, there are numerous guidelines in the UK, designed to facilitate the production of reliable and valid accounts by those deemed to be vulnerable witnesses. And yet, it is not entirely clear how mental health impacts on reliability and validity within the judicial system, partly due to the diversity of those who present with mental health difficulties. In this paper, we set out to explore how legal professionals operating in the UK understand the impact of mental distress on the practical production of witness testimonies. Twenty legal professionals, including police officers, judges, magistrates and detectives were involved in a semi-structured interview to examine their knowledge and experience of working with mental health problems, and how they approached and worked with this group.\udA thematic analysis was conducted on the data and specific themes relevant to the overall research question are presented. These include a) dilemmas and deficiencies in knowledge of mental health, b) the abandonment of diagnosis and c) barriers to knowledge: time restrictions, silence, professional identity and fear. Finally, we explore some of the implications of these barriers, with regard to professional practice.
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机译:Litchfield心理咨询模型以哲学为基础,将精神健康服务应用程序Lift Up UP,旨在提供简单,实用的建议,以帮助个人和员工应对日常的精神健康挑战,并将用户与现有的精神健康专业人员联系起来。 Lift me UP将使用先进的技术来:•协助患者评估过程•监控和支持日常工作•将用户推荐给可用的心理健康专家•与市场上的任何产品相比,创造独特的定制体验。