Blood-Injury Phobia: A “Reasonable Excuse” for Failing to Give a Specimen in a Case of Suspected Drunken Driving
✍ Scribed by G.H. Gudjonsson; G. Sartory
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Year
- 1983
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 445 KB
- Volume
- 23
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0015-7368
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✦ Synopsis
This paper illustrates the application of an experimental procedure to blood-injury phobia in a case of suspected drunken driving. Cardiac reactions have been shown to discriminate between blood-injury phobia and other phobias. Whereas the latter are accompanied by an increase in heart-rate, bloodinjury phobics react with a decrease in heart-rate when confronted with relevant material. A defendant was tested and exhibited a heart-rate pattern characteristic of blood-injury phobics. The finding was presented in a Crown Court of Appeal. On the basis of the totality of evidence the defendant was acquitted and was considered to have a "reasonaue excuse" to refuse to give a specimen.