Commentary: personality disorder and diminished responsibility--the significance of priorities and objectives.

Professor Landy Sparr's paper systematically examines issues and anomalies of courtroom practice in relation to offenders who are considered to have a personality disorder. The in-depth description of a recent case from the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia forms the basis of the paper. As an international forum, the Tribunal illustrates clearly the different practices and interpretations in various jurisdictions. Sparr provides much detail about the machinations of the Tribunal, leading to speculation about the principles that underlie the complex legislation as it is applied in different countries. Despite the considerable differences in mental health systems among different countries, there are probably shared themes and trends that influence the practice of forensic psychiatry.