Fulton State Hospital psychologist speaks to abnormal psychology class at WWU

10/17/2011 Mary Ann Beahon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (573) 592-1127

 

Dr. Marc Maddox, the forensic coordinator and psychology director at Fulton State Hospital, spoke to the William Woods University Oct. 7 and 12. He was invited by Dr. Caroline Boyer-Ferhat, assistant professor psychology.

He discussed the hospital's role in the legal system, and described the differences between "not guilty by reason of mental defect or disease" and "incompetent to stand trial." He also discussed many of the misconceptions about what happens to these individuals once they are admitted into the hospital.
 
During the second session, he discussed the treatment programs that are used for individuals with schizophrenic and borderline personality disorder diagnoses, and discussed what a typical day at the hospital would look like.
 
Elizabeth Cato, a senior psychology major, commented, "Having a professional from the Fulton State Hospital visit our class was a great experience!  Dr. Maddox was extremely informative and gave us a solid idea of what goes on inside mental health institutions.”
 
She added, “His stories illustrated the positives and negatives of working in that kind of environment, and it was all very fascinating. We discussed such things as his role in the court systems in determining whether mentally ill patients could stand trial and his experiences with the individual patients in the hospital setting."