The forensic psychiatrist as expert witness in malpractice cases.

This essay is a discussion of the role of the forensic psychiatrist in malpractice cases as an expert witness establishing the standards of care for the psychiatric profession. The occasion for these comments, which hopefully will lead to constructive dialogue and response, is the much discussed malpractice case of Weizdell Williamson v. Doctor Myron Liptzin (Cal., Orange County Sup. Ct., Dkt. No. 97CVS690). The case achieved public notoriety when it was a featured segment of the CBS television program "60 Minutes,'' and it has also produced controversy about standards of care within psychiatry. ' The professional controversy* might be stated as follows: how can most of his professional peers who work in university mental health services believe that Dr. Liptzin did a superb job in his care of Williamson and that quite unforeseeably