It has been known for several decades that abuse between married, cohabitating, or dating partners, whether in same-sex or opposite-sex relationships, is a major social and public health problem. Intimate partner abuse (IPA or PA), commonly known as domestic violence, may involve physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, stalking, and domineering and controlling behaviors. It negatively impacts mil...

On July 11, in Christine Goodwin v. United Kingdom (Application No. 28957/95) and I. v. United Kingdom (Application No. 25680/94), a Grand Chamber of 17 judges of the European Court of Human Rights held unanimously that the United Kingdom’s refusal to permit post-operative transsexuals to have their birth certificates amended to reflect their reassigned sex, and to contract different-sex marria...

In order to establish Family Courts in South Africa, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development established a Court Task Team 1997. During September 1998 Pilot Project was launched by serve as test sites for possible nation-wide implementation. This project flowed from “Justice Vision2000” national strategy. The aim make justice accessible families urban, rural even isolated commu...

As pressure mounts for a change in the way coroners' inquests are conducted more challenges to inquest verdicts are reaching the high court. Last month, quashing the jury's verdict in an inquest described by Mr Justice Peter Pain as "hopelessly flawed," the court recognised "lack of care" as a possible verdict in appropriate cases and clarified the ambit ofthe verdict in cases in which medical ...

PURPOSE To extensively review the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) case law concerning psychiatric commitment, and to estimate the role of this supranational jurisprudence in the practice of contemporary psychiatry. METHOD Using keywords to search the ECHR computerized database "HUDOC", we reviewed all cases concerning psychiatric commitment registered between September 1953 and December...

Ventricular wall rupture after mitral valve replacement is an uncommon complication but often lethal. We report the autopsy findings in a case of a 77 year old woman suffering double mitral disease who underwent unsuccessful replacement of the mitral valve using a Saint Jude (ONXM 27/29) mechanical prosthesis. The patient developed consumptive coagulopathy and a type I left ventricular rupture....

The New Zealand Mental Health (compulsory assessment and treatment) act [1] was amended to mandate the consultation of family and care-givers in every stage of civil committal. Although the use of committal has been seen by clinicians as an impediment to care [2] and clinicians continue to have concerns about the timing of discharge from the act [3], many people with serious mental illness have...