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William H. Reid

Goodreads Author

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The United States

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http://www.psychandlaw.org

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DarkNightAurora

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May 2018

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William H. Reid, MD, MPH, is one of America's leading forensic psychiatrists. His professional career includes professorships at several medical schools and serving as medical director of one of the nation's largest state mental health and developmental disability systems. He was president of North America's premiere forensic psychiatry organization (the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law), has published some 16 books and over 200 professional articles, been an expert witness or consultant in hundreds of criminal and civil cases (for prosecution/plaintiff, defense, or as a judge's expert) at the interface of mental health and the law, and treated thousands of psychiatric patients.

He lives, practices and writes in Horseshoe Bay, Texa ...more

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A question asked my ethics professor after mentioning your book in a discussion: How is it that Reid was able to ethically release such discussions with and information about Holmes?

William H. Reid That's a great question, Pamela (THANKS!), and one that comes up from colleagues, students, and sometimes critics of the book.

Neither I nor any of my…moreThat's a great question, Pamela (THANKS!), and one that comes up from colleagues, students, and sometimes critics of the book.

Neither I nor any of my ethical colleagues would knowingly do anything unethical in a case, or in writing about a case. I took pains to be sure everything was "kosher." Here's my somewhat long answer to your question (with the caveat that I'm not a lawyer!):

1. I neither have, nor ever had, any doctor-patient relationship with James Holmes, nor with anyone mentioned in the book. Thus there is no doctor-patient or therapist-client issue of confidentiality. (Clinical confidentiality requires such a relationship, which would only arise in situations such as treating the person, giving the person an opinion for clinical purposes, or doing something else related to clinical care.)

2. Forensic and administrative opinions such as those done for a court are not considered "clinical," and the person evaluated is not (or should not be) called a "patient" or "client." The purpose of such examinations or interviews is not clinical. I always notify the evaluee (which is what I call the person being interviewed or examined), orally and in writing, that I'm not his/her doctor and that no doctor-patient relationship is being created.

3. Regardless of the above, any information divulged in open court, unless specifically "sealed," immediately becomes public record (not confidential in any way), whether the information is medical or something else. (A great deal of the information, quotes, etc., in A Dark Night in Aurora was actually presented at the trial, including over 95% of my video-recorded interviews. The trial lasted for months, with continuous video and media coverage. Everything that happened in open court, literally, is on the YouTube and/or elsewhere on the Internet, including video and audio of scores of interviews, evaluations, interrogations, witness statements, etc..)

4. When a defendant enters a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, his/her psychiatric/psychological/medical history and examinations are generally ruled public. That is, one can't plead insanity and then hide any clinical information from the court (which, in turn, makes it become public).

5. Law enforcement investigations, information, photos, recordings, etc., are public information unless sealed by a court. (In this case, that included many videos, thousands of photos, recordings and transcripts of scores of interviews of various people including Holmes, witness statements, etc.)

6. Some time after the trial, the trial judge (Samour) ruled, in a series of rulings related to what was public record, that even items that were suppressed during the trial (to protect Holmes's right to a fair trial) were now public record, since the case has been completely resolved.

7. During the writing process, I consulted, several times, an experienced attorney and expert in First Amendment legal issues, to be certain I was allowed to write what I did. That lawyer assured me, several times, that the book content is well within legal bounds. (I understand that "legal" isn't always the same thing as "ethical.")

Finally, as you've no doubt heard in your ethics course, "ethical" and "ethics" are somewhat fluid concepts; that's what makes them so interesting and such a good topic for lengthy discussions (which often have no satisfying resolution.) Seen narrowly, I was especially concerned with professional ethics: those specifically codified by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association. In that context, the organization code is well-published and the organizations are the only arbiters of what is ethical and what's not. It also means, in this narrow context, that the ethics codes are only enforced by those organizations against MEMBERS of those organizations. Broader concepts of ethics are important as well, and I adhered to those as I understand and interpret them. Nevertheless, I'm sure that a few people, using some interpretation (perhaps a personal one) of the many, many ways of viewing ethics, will find a way to criticise almost anything that you or I do!

-- Bill Reid (less)

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What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

William H. Reid That's a pretty "stock" question. Anyone wishing to write my memoir or biography will have plenty of material!…moreThat's a pretty "stock" question. Anyone wishing to write my memoir or biography will have plenty of material!(less)

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William H. Reid’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 1,417 ratings · 141 reviews · 33 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings 3.90 avg rating — 1,375 ratings — published 2018 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unmasking the Psychopath: Antisocial Personality and Related Symptoms (Norton Professional Book) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1986 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	DSM-IV Training Guide by William H. Reid (Goodreads Author), Michael G. Wise 4.13 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 1995 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Handbook of Mental Health Administration and Management by William H. Reid (Goodreads Author) (editor), Stuart B. Silver (Editor) 3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2002 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Clinician's Guide to Legal Issues in Psychotherapy, Or, Proceed With Caution 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 1999	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Treatment Of Psychiatric Disorders by William H. Reid (Goodreads Author), George U. Balis, James S. Wicoff really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 1989 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Psychopath A Comprehensive Study Of Antisocial Disorders and Behaviors it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1978	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Developing a Forensic Practice 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2013 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Basic Intensive Psychotherapy it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1980 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Treatment of Antisocial Syndromes it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1981	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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William H. Reid's Blog

Thanks!

Thanks to all for the interesting and positive comments about A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings! (I'd read negative ones, too; almost all comments are useful.)

I'd like briefly to respond to one writer's (Neil Evan's) post about how the Aurora, Colorado perpetrator's motive was confusing. Neil mentioned common motives such as jealousy, money and revenge.

As Read more of this blog post »

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Published on September 28, 2018 07:33

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William Reid rated a book it was amazing Twice by Mitch Albom (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Simple, then Wonderful The book starts simply, unpretentiously, a little bumpy and jerky, then the reader is pulled along for a fine, complicated, eventually emotional ride. I've gotta read more Anitch Albom. ...more
Dec 25, 2025 04:34AM · like · see review
William Reid rated a book liked it The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon, #6) by Dan Brown (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A Good Yarn (too) Opulently Embellished Brown's extremely well-researched, almost herculean, novels command reading, though the writing is formulaic. This one's very complex paths pull the reader more than they entice, so intricate that the very shor ...more
Dec 17, 2025 05:30AM · like · see review
William Reid rated a book it was amazing Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the 20th Century by Orson Scott Card	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 13, 2025 05:26AM · like
William Reid rated a book it was ok Existence by David Brin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Chaotic, Interminable, Confusing Pseudo-hip, filled with pseudo-cute neologisms that feel artificial for a near-future book. Doesn't draw the reader in or keep him/her engaged. FAR too long and obtuse, with obtuseness that takes much too long to reso ...more
Jul 02, 2025 04:26AM · like · see review
William Reid rated a book really liked it Reality Is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity by Carlo Rovelli	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Outstanding Clarity One of the very few books to provide an understandable discussion of quantum phenomena and cosmic structure that isn't overly simplistic, but doesn't require deep understanding of the mathematics that underlie and support the theo ...more
Jun 01, 2025 12:08PM · like · see review
William Reid rated a book really liked it Children of Time (Children of Time, #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 07, 2025 02:54AM · like
William Reid rated a book really liked it The Disturbance (The Disturbance, #1) by Brandon Q. Morris (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Interesting Physics; Writing Pretty Good Nice concept. He pulls the reader into the unknowns of the story slowly but with hints along the way. A little too much "formula" in the writing, commercial rather than literary, with very occasional typos, bu ...more
Dec 15, 2024 04:54AM · like · see review
William Reid rated a book it was amazing Carpathians by Paul Dixon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 25, 2024 05:11AM · like
William Reid rated a book liked it Alien Secrets (Solar Warden #1) by Ian Douglas	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 17, 2024 03:57AM · like
William Reid and 3 other people liked Luana Filgueiras's review of A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings: "This will most likely be the toughest book review I’ll ever have to write, not just because this is my first true crime nonfiction, but because this tragedy was a real life one, one that deeply affected real people, real families, the way we scrutini" Read more of this review »
Aug 12, 2024 01:10PM · see review

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Quotes by William H. Reid (?)

“Blaming the shootings on the doctors or lack of money doesn’t wash, of course. It’s a ridiculous rationalization, or just crazy. Holmes admits that Drs. Fenton and Feinstein offered to see him regardless of insurance and that he had plenty of money and additional support from his parents. Bob and Arlene had told him clearly that money was no problem when it came to getting psychiatric help.”
― William H. Reid, A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings

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“I did not find, and don’t believe today, that Holmes met accepted psychiatric criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia or its even more serious cousin, schizoaffective disorder, at the time of the shootings.”
― William H. Reid, A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings

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“The testing instruments Dr. Gray and Dr. Manguso used also had elements to uncover different kinds of malingering, lack of interest in answering, and random answers. “Malingering” is a more complicated concept than simply trying to look sick when one is actually well. Some people try to “fake bad,” to appear sicker or more mentally ill than they are. Others, including some criminal defendants who don’t like the idea of being called crazy, try to “fake good”—that is, to look normal.”
― William H. Reid, A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings

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