The Sydney Lindt caf é siege: The role of the consultant psychiatrist.

CONCLUSION: The Coroner's censure of the psychiatrist was clearly prejudiced by hindsight bias. During the siege, the psychiatrist properly considered and evaluated all the available intelligence and other information known about the gunman. As the psychiatrist advised, Monis was a narcissist and the siege was not an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack. Given that he announced he was armed with a bomb, Monis represented a 'credible threat' to the hostages. The psychiatrist's endorsement of the police strategy to 'contain and negotiate' was prudent in the circumstances. The Coroner's disparagement of the senior psychiatrist may have the unintended consequence that psychiatrists may be reluctant to assist in hostage-sieges or other critical incidents. PMID: 31189335 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Aust N Z J Psychiatry Source Type: research