By Sandra Thomas
Staff writer

When accused child-killer David Trott was found unfit to stand trial earlier this month, it was a team of forensic mental health professionals who made the decision.

Twenty-year-old Trott, who suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome, had appeared at a provincial court hearing April 5 and 6, almost a year after being arrested in connection with the abduction and strangling death of nine-year-old Jessica Russell of Maple Ridge.

Dr. Johann Brink, a forensic psychiatrist and professor at UBC, will sit on a provincial review board that re-evaluates Trott in the next six weeks to see if he is still unfit to stand trial, or should be found not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder. "Forensic psychiatrists will have to decide whether he was mentally ill at the time of the crime and if he appreciated the wrongfulness of his deeds," Brink said.

Trott’s case is an example of the kind of work forensic mental health specialists, gathering in Vancouver this weekend to attend their first international conference, do every day—assessment and treatment of mental disorders in people who have committed a crime.

Dr. Derek Eaves, vice-president of medicine and research at Riverview Hospital, said the conference is the first offered by the newly formed International Association of Forensic Mental Health, developed in Vancouver. Eaves described B.C. as a world leader in forensic mental health research, citing work done at SFU and UBC. He said those in the field face the same problems here as around the world, including an increasing number of mentally ill people in jails and the court system, more violent behaviour in people with mental illness and substance abuse problems, and a growing number of homeless ending up in the jail system.

"Because the problems are international, we have to look at international solutions," Eaves said.

He said Dr. Sheilagh Hodgins, a professor from the University of Montreal, and world leader in forensic mental health, is presenting a recent study on predicting violent behaviour, and how it’s dealt with around the world.

Brink said the association and conference are unique because they don’t just deal with one discipline, but encompass all areas of forensic mental health. While international associations are already designed to deal with psychiatry/psychology and the law, correctional medicine and forensic psychotherapy, no other organizations deal specifically with the entire forensic service system.

"We have established an umbrella organization to include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, administrators, academics and therapists," he said. "There is no other body that does that."

Because some countries already have sophisticated forensic mental health systems, and others don’t, the association offers a way to develop uniform standards, compare policies and provide a crucial venue for finding information.

Brink, who works as a forensic psychiatrist at the Regional Health Centre in Abbotsford, said the field of forensics fascinates most people, but especially those in the business.

"People are drawn to marginalized and dangerous individuals," he said. "As a therapist we sometimes have to develop alliances with people who have done horrific things. The conference will allow us to share our information."

He said the association will produce an academic journal and will hold an annual conference. "Next year it’s in Germany, but we plan on moving around the entire world."

Conference coordinator Tracey Moropito, said delegates and presenters are expected from the United Kingdom, U.S., Argentina, Finland, Norway, Germany, Holland and South Africa.