Specialties
ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE/ADDICTIONS
Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated thousands of individuals addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, opioid pain medications, marijuana, heroin, and alcohol since 1991. He is board certified in Addiction Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and board certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Beckson has founded and directed alcohol & drug treatment programs (both inpatient and outpatient). He is experienced in individual, group, and medication therapies for detoxification and rehabilitation. Dr. Beckson has conducted published research in brain imaging of individuals addicted to crack cocaine, as well as medication trials for the treatment of heroin and cocaine abuse, under the auspices of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Beckson is lead author of the chapter on alcohol and drug abuse in the current second edition of the widely used text, Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry. As an Expert Reviewer for the California Medical Board, Dr. Beckson consulted in cases involving impaired physicians and other health care professionals, usually in conjunction with alcohol or drug abuse. He currently serves as Chair of the Addiction Psychiatry Committee of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
SUICIDE AND SUICIDE RISK ASSESSMENT
Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated thousands of suicidal individuals. He is board certified in Forensic Suicidology by the American Association of Suicidology. Dr. Beckson is medical director of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System's Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, which treats involuntarily hospitalized veterans who are a danger to themselves and/or others. He is highly experienced in clinical risk assessment of suicidality. As Clinical Professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Science at UCLA, Dr. Beckson teaches suicide risk assessment and management to UCLA psychiatry residents. At the VA, Dr. Beckson serves on the Aggregate Parasuicide Root Cause Analysis Team, which examines all suicidal acts in the entire Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. He also serves on the Suicidology Committee of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Expert in California mental health law pertaining to involuntary hospitalization and treatment, Dr. Beckson has frequently testified in the Mental Health Department of the Superior Court in the County of Los Angeles.
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated hundreds of patients with PTSD, including combat veterans, civilian victims of trauma, and adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. Particularly through his work at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare Center, Dr. Beckson is highly experienced in the differential diagnosis of PTSD, including malingering of PTSD. He is also experienced in the psychiatric co-morbidities of PTSD, including depression, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, and violence. Dr. Beckson is a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
BRAIN INJURY/NEUROPSYCHIATRY A graduate of the two year fellowship in Neurobehavior at UCLA, Dr. Beckson has conducted hundreds of evaluations of behavioral problems associated with brain disease or injury. He has also conducted research in brain abnormalities and injury, particularly in relation to drug abuse, and has contributed to numerous published scientific articles. Dr. Beckson is lead author of the chapter on brain disease and neuropsychiatric issues in the current second edition of the text, Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry. He has worked closely with neurologists and neuropsychologists. While a fellow in the UCLA Neurobehavior Clinic, Dr. Beckson helped establish regular neuropsychiatric evaluations in death penalty cases for the Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles.