is temporary insanity a viable excuse?
488682
God I hope so or else I'm screwed.
898179
McMurphy is faking insanity in order to avoid hard prison time.  That's the irony of the story - he would probably have had a better chance in prison than in the mental institution.
1167932
Yes. Go to the closest Psychiatric Emergency Service, they will be able to help you. I am sure you have very serious reasons to consider that, but it would be best to talk to a professional about that. You'd surprised how much they can help.
976678
Have you ever seen the prisoner section of a mental hospital or the hospital section of a prison?  Neither is a nice place.  And how much rehabilitation can someone have if they are out of contact with the world and/or themselves.\n\nFor concepts of justice, yes, there should be an insanity defense.  For making criminal prosecution easier, perhaps not.  \n\nIt might be an eye opening encounter if you see how few people get out of criminal charges through an insanity plea..  Get in touch with your local criminal prosecutor`s office.
776399
Crazy...\n\n...though not in the actual insane sense.. More a random kind of craziness.
209344
I'm finding that I enjoy your questions quite a bit ProfessorAdam.  Now on to the question:\n\nBipolar justifying a crime? No.  It does not hinder your ability to think and comprehend what you are doing to that extent....often.  Having a manic episode can in fact impair that ability, but as an excuse no.  If you wish to send the individual to a mental institution to get help then by all means do so.\n\nAs a mental health professional (I use the term professional lightly as I'm just starting my career), I've found that we tend to invision Mental health issues as we see them in movies when that is far from the truth.  Most of the people I work with just want to get "better", to stop the stares that people give them, to be what we consider "normal".  There are those who have given up and will descend into insanity but they give up because no one helps them.\n\nOne thing that disturbs me the most is when a person with a mental illness is arrested and taking into custody, they are treated as if they can comprehend everything perfectly.  In a lot of places they are just thrown into jails for crimes rather than sent to an institution that will keep them out of jails and on track to having a "normal" life.  We waste tax money locking these people up.  And as a side note, they aren't stupid.  A lot of mentally ill people will commit a crime to get locked up for a night, it brings the promise of a warm cell and meals with impending freedom the next day (Small crimes, like public drunkeness).\n\nSo back to the question at hand, should it justify a crime? Never, should it be an explanation for the crime? Sometimes, that depends on the illness.  Should we just toss those individuals into a cell? Never, we should react and help them to allow to become a part of society, rather than a person thrown to the side.
1105172
It is, in one respect, logically consistent to do so. The special olymics is about inclusiveness, and yet they exclude people, so it does make some sense to sue.\n\nI happen to be an ACTUAL psychologist, and I have read the other responses to your question. So tediously repetitive; they actually think that their insults that you are mentally and/or psychologically handicapped are at all clever. Such libellous behavior that they have demonstrated to you is motivated by the desire to establish their social dominance, which they felt was challenged by the cleverness and insight of your question. I therefore hereby diagnose all of such libellers with narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
902495
The French have a great saying: "Qui s'excuse s'accuse", which means "anyone excusing himself is accusing himself."  It shows what they think of excuses!\nBut there is such a thing as a sincere excuse.  If, for example, you arrive late somewhere after a whole series of catastrophic events which were none of your making.  It's for you to gauge whether the person is telling the truth or not and react accordingly.
662795
"Dying relatives" is usually a pretty good excuse. Just be sure they recover, so you don't have to provide documentation afterward.
613408
The oldest definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.\n\nI think we've all been insane at one time in our lives or another. \n\nUnfortunately, some people make a lifestyle out of it.... ;o)
598575
Being an idiot doesn't mean you're mentally ill. So no, he's not, but it'd be a nice excuse for how incredibly stupid he is.
225112
Laugh *maniacally* and *LOUDLY* - but in short, controlled bursts that startle the heck outta people and makes them jump - that is, those who would appreciate such outbursts of 'controlled insanity', and won't kick your head in for doing it - IT WORKS FOR ME!! HAHA!! :P lol
1127376
Good Question, which took me several minutes of valuable on-line time here at the Library to even consider a possible cause.\n\nPerhaps this overdramatized dualistic Labeling is PROOF of the lazy "lowest common denominator" of COMMON humans? This form of Aristotelian "thinking" harks back to the Ancient Greeks, so is not a new phenomenon, at all. Notice all the bloody WARS throughout recorded human history?\n\nAlfred Korzybsky, author of "SCIENCE & SANITY" and other General Semantics books, identifies this rigid, two-valued form of "Logic" as THE key factor in mental break-downs in thought; i.e. ( human misuse of Language leading TO actual INsanity!). He made his own observations  in psychiatric wards personally supervised in his work. \n\nDoctor Korzybsky (sp?) recommends re-training in General Semantics & MULTI-VALUED Logical analysis & description as a key help, if not a  REMEDY for such insanities! (Of course, those  NOT caused primarily by actual, Neurological Disease.)\n\nBinary or Boolean "Logic" is usefull in design of  NON-organic systems such as computer hardware, but dangerous if used to address REAL Life problems, or in Science and the Arts. The  simplest set of "Logical" values would be Trinary; i.e 3-valued!\n"Yes", "No", and "Maybe/Don'tknow4sure"!  \n\nThe simplistic use of "LIBERAL" versus "CONSERVATIVE" stereotyping you HEAR on the (AM) Talk Shows probably indicates frightened but LAZY Thinking of the commoner who  calls-into these programs. LIB/CON dualisms could also be a deliberate & manipulated RHETORICAL ploy of political pseudo-thinkers who wish to push their OWN (often stupid!) AGENDA! \n\nOoops! Sorry. Got carried away there.  Go READ Korzybsky!
107383
Sorry no.  Unfit for trial also means that you will be sent to a mental hospital until your a restore to normal and then you are tried.  You basically have to be insane forever to avoid the charges.  Not worth the time.
50155
You most certainly can until such time that you are examined by a psychiatrist that you were having said episode. The psychiatrist may have to testify in Court as to your mental satate at the time of the arrest.
402787
I think it's a silly excuse people use to avoid coming to terms with difficult times.
44090
A temporary insanity curable by marriage or by removal of the patient from the influences under which he incurred the disorder. This disease, like caries and many other ailments, is prevalent only among civilized races living under artificial conditions; barbarous nations breathing pure air and eating simple food enjoy immunity from its ravages. It is sometimes fatal, but more frequently to the physician than to the patient.