[Is the "psychopathy concept" applicable to expert opinions in civil suits?].

The assessment of the psychological consequences of an accident is a complex and sophisticated challenge for physicians. Pre-traumatic personality traits and the post-traumatic course must be assessed with care. The evaluation of pre-traumatic personality traits is often an issue of particular debate. In this paper, the concept of "psychopathy" according to Hare is outlined, and the potential application of this concept in the assessment procedure is discussed. Typical personality traits such as glibness, superficial charm, egocentricity, pathological lying and deception, lack of remorse and lack of empathy may provide valuable hints for the expert opinion.