Psychiatric evaluations intended for third parties
Psychiatrists may be asked to complete a variety of third-party evaluations in their work, whether as a treating psychiatrist or an independent medical examiner. The presence of a third party in medical evaluations introduces a variety of medical, legal, procedural, and ethical complications. Laws and guidelines for these situations can vary widely based on the jurisdiction of the psychiatrist and the person being evaluated. In this chapter, we present a vignette based on the 1997 case of Lambley v. Kameny, in which a psychiatrist conducting a pre-employment evaluation was sued by the examinee for medical malpractice. We use this case as a springboard for a survey of potential roles that psychiatrists may assume in third-party evaluations, related ethical and legal considerations, and finally, a brief review of common third-party evaluations that non-forensic psychiatrists may be asked to complete.
