Question about psychosis and legal insanity

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FranzOren
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01 May 2022, 3:55 pm

Do you you really have to be psychotic to be legally insane?

Most people that declare legal insanity are mostly psychotic, but you don't have to be psychotic to be legally insane, there are situations where neurogenative and neurodevelopental disorders are so severe that it also effects how you appreciate that consequences of your actions.

I hope that I am correct.



CrazyEspy
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01 May 2022, 7:16 pm

In my personal experience yes they can be different things, a lot can happen to a mind and people with other neurodegenerative conditions can get so bad that they truly have little grasp on what they are doing. In any case there are levels to everything and for example from a lifetime of experience and keeping my health up as much as I possibly can my psychotic episodes are pretty mild but affect a lot of my cognitive and motor control, almost like some invisible force is taking over and I need to fight back against it even being completely aware and it manifesting visibly. I have recently only had one major episode but it was actually triggered by something and I couldn't recall what happened besides being told after by those involved. To be termed legally insane I think you would have to be around that point of unawareness and loss of control. Generally these people that are going to be claiming that aren't going to be coherent or even present enough to care about manipulating it to get something they want though.



FranzOren
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01 May 2022, 9:45 pm

That makes sense.



autisticelders
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02 May 2022, 6:49 am

That probably varies with the laws from state to state and country to country.


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FranzOren
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02 May 2022, 7:17 am

That makes sense.



rse92
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02 May 2022, 4:08 pm

No. But I expect you already know that.



rse92
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02 May 2022, 4:13 pm

Under the M'Nagten Rule as has been adopted and modified in most English-speaking jurisdictions, a person is legally insane if he or she could not under stand the criminality of his/her behavior at the time of his/he acts. It's actually almost impossible for a psychopath to be declared legally insane (e.g. Jeffrey Dahmer), as they understand their behavior is criminal. You could be psychotic and therefore unable to distinguish right from wrong.



FranzOren
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02 May 2022, 6:22 pm

rse92 wrote:
Under the M'Nagten Rule as has been adopted and modified in most English-speaking jurisdictions, a person is legally insane if he or she could not under stand the criminality of his/her behavior at the time of his/he acts. It's actually almost impossible for a psychopath to be declared legally insane (e.g. Jeffrey Dahmer), as they understand their behavior is criminal. You could be psychotic and therefore unable to distinguish right from wrong.


I meant if it is still possible to be legally insane without being psychotic, like neurogenative and neurodevelopental disorders are so severe that you are completely unaware of your actions.

For example, you committed any crime, but then you don't understand why you are being punished, and even after the judge explained to you, and in the cell, you are yelling and asking for help, because you completely don't understand what is going on and you are scared, no psychosis involved, just completely bad neurology of awareness.

But, what I described looks more like incompetent to stand trial, than legal insanity though, you do have a point.