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Commentary: A Response to Wortzel and Arciniegas About Amnesia and Crime

Dr. Bourget is Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, and Part-time Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa, and Forensic Psychiatrist, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Whitehurst is Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Address correspondence to: Dominique Bourget, MD, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada. E-mail: dbourget{at}rohcg.on.ca

The review by Wortzel and Arciniegas of the phenomenology and neuroanatomy of memory is a welcome complement to our psychiatric clinical perspective on the concept of amnesia in relation to crime. The authors raise their concerns in noting that certain concepts referred to in the literature are inconsistent with the phenomenology and neurobiology of memory. In response, we clarify the DSM-IV-TR nomenclature and provide information on current research exploring various mechanisms outlining memory impairment and other neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia and other psychoses. In relation to amnesia and crime, the practice of forensic psychiatry requires the expert to be able to consider the validity of amnesia claims in criminal proceedings, translate scientific knowledge into a language accessible to the court, and provide an opinion. As such, a psychiatric clinical approach to the concept of amnesia in relation to crime provides a useful framework.