An article found here describes the prevalence, phenomenology, and impact of misophonia, a little known disorder characterized by decreased tolerance for and negative reactions to certain sounds and associated stimuli, which contribute to impairment and distress. 

A news article found here describes and illustrates an annual religious ritual in Thailand that involves people choosing to have their cheeks pierced by objects large and small. Presenting this story in class should stimulate a lively discussion about how this relates to the body piercings that have become so prevalent in Western cultures in recent years, and whether either, neither, or both of these phenomena should be considered examples of psychological disorder—and why.

Here is a recent example in which the process of determining a criminal suspect’s competency to stand trial took so long that the time he spent in jail awaiting trial exceeded the length of his ultimate prison sentence. It also exemplifies the fact that clinical judgments about competency and sanity can be flawed, in this case with tragic consequences.

A man accused in a homicide outside a Home Depot store in Naples, Florida was found incompetent to proceed in a burglary case and had been released from jail about two weeks before the slaying. Kenneth R. Tannassee, 29, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on Aug. 21 after a homeless woman was found dead inside her vehicle. Tannassee was released from jail on Aug. 4 after he pleaded no contest to charges in a burglary case. He was adjudicated guilty of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and grand theft. Tannassee was arrested Oct. 23, 2018, after a Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a home in the 13800 block of Collier Boulevard in reference to a burglary in progress. Tannassee pleaded not guilty to the charges from the burglary incident on Nov. 19, 2018. Then on July 8, 2019, the judge signed an order appointing an expert to conduct a competency evaluation of Tannassee before the case could proceed, according to court records. Proceedings stalled for several months, during which multiple psychiatric/psychological evaluations concluded Tannassee was incompetent to stand trial, and a judge confirmed that status on December 20th, 2019. The experts determined that Tannassee was incompetent to proceed but did not meet the criteria for commitment to a state hospital (i.e., was not a danger to himself or others). His defense team as well as prosecutors agreed with the assessment, and Tannassee was ordered housed at the Collier County Jail and to receive competency restoration treatment provided by staff from a behavioral health agency. By April, 2020, an expert appointed to conduct re-evaluation of competency found Tannassee competent, stating that he spoke clearly, engaged easily, was cooperative and did not present any unusual behaviors. At a court hearing at the end of July, 2020, Tannassee pleaded no contest to the charges in the burglary case and was sentenced to 18 months in state prison, but since he was given credit for the 21 months he had been in jail since his arrest, he was released. Seventeen days later, he committed a murder.

[Source: Allen, J. (2020). Suspect in East Naples homicide released from jail 17 days before incident. Naples Daily News, August 29, p. 8A.]