Comorbidity of Mental Illness & Drug Treatment Requirements: Impact on Forensic Evidence‪.‬

Abstract Evidence of a growing awareness of the presence of comorbidity (multiple groups of symptoms) in the mentally-ill population and the effect of such comorbidity on drug treatment strategies are briefly reviewed. It is suggested that such evidence demonstrates an increase in the variability and uncertainty of clinical findings, which, in turn, has significant forensic implications. The impact of this evidence on forensic activity is discussed primarily in terms of the Daubert decision rendered by the U.S. Supreme Court. The combined importance of an increase in variability of findings and the improved standards of evidence proposed by the Daubert decision are briefly considered and the implications for forensic testimony discussed.