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Insanity Defense MeSH Descriptor Data 2025


MeSH Heading
Insanity Defense
Tree Number(s)
F04.096.544.335.528
I01.198.780.937.469.528
I01.880.604.583.310.528
N03.706.535.351.528
Unique ID
D007298
RDF Unique Identifier
http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D007298
Scope Note
A legal concept that an accused is not criminally responsible if, at the time of committing the act, the person was laboring under such a defect of reason from disease of the mind as not to know the nature and quality of the act done or if the act was known, to not have known that what was done was wrong. (From Black's Law Dictionary, 6th ed)
Entry Term(s)
Criminal Insanity
M'Naghten Rule
McNaughton Rule
NLM Classification #
W 740
See Also
Mental Competency
Public MeSH Note
91; was see under FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY 1985-90; was MCNAUGHTON RULE see under FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY 1969-84; was MCNAUGHTON RULE see under JURISPRUDENCE, PSYCHIATRIC 1968
Online Note
use FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY to search MCNAUGHTON RULE 1969-84; use JURISPRUDENCE, PSYCHIATRIC to search MCNAUGHTON RULE 1968
History Note
91(85); was see under FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY 1985-90; was MCNAUGHTON RULE see under FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY 1969-84; was MCNAUGHTON RULE see under JURISPRUDENCE, PSYCHIATRIC 1968
Date Established
1991/01/01
Date of Entry
1999/01/01
Revision Date
2003/07/09
Insanity Defense Preferred
McNaughton Rule Related
Criminal Insanity Related
M'Naghten Rule Related
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