Adhia & Associates
Consultant and Expert Witness Forensic Psychiatrists
Access breadth and depth in expertise and experience.
Specialty knowledge and excellent qualifications are the foundation of our services.
Sanjay Adhia, M.D., Principal
Credentials & Experience
Dr. Adhia has been in private clinical and forensic practice for over a decade. He is among fewer than 20 Psychiatrists nationally who are triple Board-Certified in Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry and Brain Injury Medicine by the ABPN.1 Dr. Adhia treats brain-injured patients as a psychiatrist.
Dr. Adhia has testified and examined nationally about a wide range of psychiatric factors and damages in litigated cases.
Clinical Practice
Dr. Adhia treats patients at nationally recognized TIRR Hermann Hospital, focusing on psychiatry and those with injuries or diseases of the brain, dementia, Alzheimer’s, stroke, traumatic brain injury TBI, concussion (mTBI), and spinal cord injuries.
Faculty and Honors
Dr. Adhia is Associate Program Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, at the University of Texas Health Science Center, McGovern Medical School in Houston, where he is also Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry mentor to residents.
Since 2019, Dr. Adhia has served on the Governor’s Advisory Committee to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments.
Services
Dr. Adhia is experienced in the forensic assessment necessary for a robust report of his findings.
He routinely testifies in depositions and at trial. He is available for cases nationally.
Kerry Mendes, M.D., Associate
Credentials & Experience
Kerry Mendes, M.D., is a Board-Certified Forensic Psychiatrist and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist by the ABPN. He has been a practicing physician since 2018.
Clinical and Forensic Practice
Dr. Mendes has a busy clinical practice at Houston clinic Avenue 360 treating adults, children and adolescents.
He is in forensic practice with Dr. Adhia performing assessments, records review, IMEs, written reports of his forensic findings, and testimony.
Education
Dr. Mendes completed his Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of California Davis and a Fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of California Irvine. He is Board-Certified in both disciplines.
In 2021, Dr. Mendes relocated from California to Houston and is a licensed physician in Texas where he practices.
Pia Quimson-Guevarra, DO, Associate
Credentials & Experience
Dr. Quimson-Guevarra is a Board-Certified Forensic Psychiatrist and Psychiatrist in private practice since 2019. She is based in Portland, Oregon and works on cases nationally. She has been a practicing physician for nearly a decade and in active Forensic Psychiatric practice for 7 years.
Clinical and Forensic Practice
Dr. Quimson-Guevarra is founder and Medical Director of Quimson Behavioral Health treating patients and supervising mental health care in the greater Portland, Oregon area. She is licensed in Oregon and Washington and serves as an expert witness in cases nationally.
She has testified in U.S. District Court, Oregon Circuit Court, Washington Circuit Court and administrative venues. She has rendered forensic findings in a range of cases including civil litigation, probate, criminal and workers’ compensation.
Dr. Quimson-Guevarra works with Adhia & Associates to provide her forensic conclusions and consultation to attorneys and courts.
Professional Contributions
Dr. Quimson-Guevarra is a contributor to the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
She is also an invited speaker to the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship program, where she also received Fellowship training. OHSU is the premier Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship in the Pacific Northwest.
The jury must hear findings from a credible, objective expert.
Complex medical and psychiatric damages demand it.
Our Services
Written and Verbal Reports.
Expert Findings and Medico-legal Opinions.
Expedited Services.
Testimony.
Legal Consultant.Read more.
What Our Clients Say
A qualified expert, he traveled to Georgia from Texas on short notice and..
Dr. Adhia provided critical testimony regarding date rape drug effects. Dr. Adhia was an excellent witness for our defense.
Prosecution will probably need him in the future.
Best expert ever. I retained Dr. Adhia in a complex case and he wrote the best report and testified brilliantly.
I highly recommend Dr. Adhia. He made all the difference in my case.
Dr. Adhia served as an expert witness in a difficult and complex Medical Board case.
Dr. Adhia was quick on the draw, conscientious, and most importantly, authoritative and reliable.
My client’s will contest case involved a multi-million dollar estate. Dr. Adhia was retained as an expert forensic psychiatrist.
Dr. Adhia’s work was exemplary, and I would recommend him without hesitation to anyone seeking a highly qualified psychiatric expert.
“Dr. Adhia worked with me on two cases involving immigration clients with mental incapacity… the court gave significant weight to his evaluation. I look forward to working with Dr. Adhia again.”
Even the prosecutor was impressed with the report.
It was so thorough in fact that we reached an agreement that prevented the need for a trial.
Want to discuss a case?
Have a question?
8 Psychiatry Questions Lawyers Ask.
Can your prove someone is (in)competent? Can mental illness cause criminal behavior? What is a Personality Disorder? Does a brain injury diminish capacity? What about Dementia? Keep Reading.
How do you prove “Emotional Distress?”
Sanjay Adhia, MD
“Emotional Distress” is a legal concept that, if proven and described, can assist a jury to determine a dollar amount for mental pain and suffering.
As a psychiatrist, I evaluate if there is — or is not — evidence of a mental health disorder and the symptoms. I may be asked about the likelihood of causation or apportionment if the condition(s) is believed to be fallout from the event at the heart of litigation, e.g., a motor vehicle accident.
Is there a mental illness? If so, what caused it?
I have been asked many times as an Expert Witness to testify about whether I have diagnosed a disabling psychological condition that is causing “emotional distress.” I must do so with reasonable medical certainty or probability, as a result of an investigation, IME of the plaintiff, review of medical and even legal records.
Who Decides? Informing the Jury
The judge or jury determines if someone has suffered emotional distress.
The task of the testifying psychiatrist is to present a sound foundation that underscores their objective conclusions. That might be about the experience of an examinee and if they have a disruptive or disabling condition. Are they suffering? How is their life impacted? What is a likely cost to treat their condition(s)? These are questions that concern both plaintifff and defense.
Testimony is most likely to be persuasive if the expert can present to the jury a logical path the expert has taken to their final conclusion.
When I conduct a forensic evaluation, I apply unique features of a forensic assessment to determine if a mental disorder exists and the history and context that may reveal complicating factors like a preexisting condition, or more than one medical conditions that impact mental health. I may or may not find and diagnose a disorder. I will report my findings in testimony.
Causation
If I do diagnose a disorder, I usually consider if there is a causal link. For example, a car crash leads to physical injuries followed by a Mood Disorder like Depression. Are they related? Was the Depression pre-existing? These are common questions I must take into account in rendering my conclusions.
Can Dementia or a Brain Injury void a legal document?
Sanjay Adhia, MD
What voids a contract is question for an attorney. However, competency to enter into a contract, like a revocable trust or real estate transaction, requires competency. Brain injuries, like TBI or a concussion can impair decision-making and problem-solving. These are features of competence.
The impact can be seen, in such cases, when applied to making a legal decision like signing a Trust, Will, or non-testamentary documents like purchasing or selling real estate.
In the case of sports-related brain injuries, it can derail an athlete’s career.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s, on the other hand, are degenerative diseases. They share some symptoms and limitations with a brain injured person. An Acquired Brain Injury, e.g. as a result of repeated blows to the head, is associated, in some cases, with Dementia later in life.
The impaired brain tends not to follow a direct path: there are good days and bad, even good moments and bad.
Might a person appear disoriented one day yet be competent to distribute their estate the next?
When a person has passed away and I am reconstructing their mental capacity at that moment in time, medical records and information about that person’s mental performance are especially important.
What qualifies as medical malpractice?
Sanjay Adhia, MD
To qualify as malpractice, the four D’s are essential.
- Duty
- Deviation from the standard of care
- Damages, and
- Direct causation.
Standard of care requires adequate, as opposed to excellent, care.
Types of error include acts of commission and acts of omission.
Common examples of psychiatric malpractice include suicide, attempted suicide, incorrect treatment, breach of confidentiality, boundary violations including sexual impropriety, improper civil commitment, and discharge errors.
When do I request a competency or capacity ssessment?
Sanjay Adhia, MD
The legal concept of being “competent” varies depending on context but decision-making is often the foundation.
Common situations that require a competency or capacity assessment or evaluation are:
- Testamentary Capacity
- Contractual Competency
- Competency to Stand Trial
Psychiatrist’s Role
When a medical condition exists that might have a negative effect on cognition, a Forensic Psychiatrist would examine medical information as well as a Neuropsychologist’s report, if one exists, to understand what is going on now vs. what preexists a discrete event such as signing a will or experiencing an accident.
I am a Brain Injury Medicine physician and have testified in cases where beneficiaries of an estate or asset claimed a person could not make an informed or lucid decision due to Dementia, Alzheimer’s or a brain injury. Such an assumption can be inaccurate in my experience.
*A unique posthumous forensic psychiatric assessment is necessary in testamentary capacity & will contests.
Neuropsychologist’s Role
When cognition — thinking, learning, or memory — is impaired, a neuropsychologist is qualified to perform cognitive testing on a living person, if functional decision making is at issue. A psychiatrist is not qualified to perform cognitive testing, which is why a Forensic Psychiatrist might suggest a neuropsychological battery be administered.
Can drug or alcohol use cause a crime? How about keeping a job, driving, or making informed decisions?
Sanjay Adhia, MD
A person actively under the influence of certain drugs might have poor impulse control, display erratic behavior or, in severe cases, be violent or develop psychosis. I have seen this in my work in prisons and criminal cases where I served as an expert witness.
Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD) and/or using drugs to excess, however, doesn’t mean a person is necessarily an addict or that it had anything to do with their actions in a legal matter.
Criminal
Addiction isn’t a “get out of jail free card.”
In an evaluation, if I find a person was under the influence of alcohol, illicit drugs or even legitimately prescribed medication, I have to consider if it caused their alleged criminal behavior, or has rendered them not CTST or even Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity.
Medical Factors. As a physician, I am well aware that each person’s physical response to a substance will be different. One person has a high tolerance, another an addiction to a drug associated with brain function.
Decisions and Drugs. I have been asked to evaluate whether drugs influenced a person’s ability to enter into a contract or sign a will with a “clear head.” However, it’s a mistake to make an assumption about whether the substance caused the behavior.
What is the difference between a Mood or Anxiety Disorder vs. Personality Disorder
Sanjay Adhia, MD
What is an Example of a Mood Disorder?
A Mood Disorder is marked by emotions that are defined by their severity and symptoms. A Personality Disorder reflects a pervasive maladaptive pattern of thinking, behavior, and inner experience deviating from cultural norms.
Depressive Disorders are the most common Mood Disorders and are accompanied by persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
A Depressive Disorder can be triggered by a life event, like an injury, or loss of a loved one, or alternately, develop independent of any such trigger. Symptoms can be temporary and alleviated with treatment.
Bipolar Disorders are identified by extremes in mood with manic and depressive episodes and are also mood disorders, with additional complexities.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5TR,) identifies 22 classes of psychiatric disorder including a few that might surprise you to learn are not mood disorders.
Not Mood Disorders
Anxiety Disorders, OCD, and PTSD are not Mood Disorders. Each falls into a distinct category that reflects their unique symptom profile.
PTSD. “Trauma and Stressor Disorders” include PTSD. A person with PTSD might develop an Anxiety Disorder (not a Mood Disorder) or a Depressive Disorder (is a Mood Disorder.) While Depression might not be the result of a trauma, PTSD on the other hand, must be associated with a traumatic experience.
What is a Personality Disorder?
As stated, a Personality Disorder reflects a pervasive maladaptive pattern of thinking, behavior, and inner experience deviating from cultural norms. For example, Borderline Personality Disorder is introduced in the DSM5TR as ”a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts…” Paranoid Personality Disorder is described as “a pattern of distrust and suspiciousness such that others’ motives are interpreted as malevolent…”
Can psychiatric issues or psychological conditions cause someone to commit a crime?
Sanjay Adhia, MD
Criminal behavior reflects so many factors that there is no simple answer.
That said, yes there are some conditions that, depending on the circumstances of the commission of the crime, might be exculpatory or mitigating factors. For example, delusions or hallucinations.
Psychiatric culpability in the commission of a crime, competency to stand trial, and competency restoration, are discussed in the linked article below.
Dr. Adhia draws on forensic experience and background serving as an expert witness in capital crimes and criminal cases as well as a background as a psychiatrist working with high-risk inmates including those on death row, capital cases and SuperMax prisons.
What mental illness interferes with work? Are co-workers affected?
What can you tell me about occupational mental health?
Sanjay Adhia, MD
Mental Health can impact job performance, as can mental illness. In some cases a condition like a Major Depressive Disorder could be completely disabling. The good news is treatment can be effective in returning the person to work.
Occupational mental health considerations are especially important in safety-sensitive jobs, e.g. carrying a firearm or piloting aircraft.
A Fitness for Duty evaluation is generally requested by a company’s Human Resources or EAP Department while the person is an employee.
Occupational assessments can also be important in civil litigation about wrongful termination or harassment.
Dr. Adhia discusses the role and nature of a Fitness for Duty evaluation and occupational matters.
On This Site
Dementia
How dementia, Alzheimer’s and brain disorders can impact thought processes and the medical-legal implications.
By Sanjay Adhia, MD
Multiple Plaintiff Cases, Mass Tort, Toxic Tort
Multiple plaintiffs may bring a suit involving a single causal event, such as a chemical spill or exposure to a carcinogenic substance. Dr. Adhia discusses two recent cases: a toxic tort, and a serial sexual assault case.
By Sanjay Adhia, MD
What Is an IME?
A medical-legal Independent Medical Examination (IME) is a structured interview guided by an unbiased evaluator with specialized training. The examinee is usually a plaintiff or defendant.
By Sanjay Adhia, MD
Brain Injuries Explained by a BIM Expert
TBI, Concussions, other mTBI Injries and their medicolegal relevance, discussion with Dr. Adhia, Board-Certified in Brain Injury Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry.
By Sanjay Adhia, MD
Consulting Expert: An Attorney’s Secret Weapon
Should you take a case? What might the damages look like? What’s your client’s exposure? A non-disclosed expert witness and forensic psychiatrist can share insight from the outset.
By Sanjay Adhia, MD
Can a Brain Injury Impact Criminal Behavior?
A crime is committed and a brain injury or disease is suspected: medical-legal considerations and mens rea.
By Sanjay Adhia, MD
Date Rape Drugs: Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Law
Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is the use of drugs and/or alcohol by a sexual predator to render a victim incapacitated and unable to fight back against a sexual assault. Learn more about these substances.
By Sanjay Adhia, MD
More…
- Records Review Insider: A Doctor Deconstructs “Records Review”
- Fitness for Duty and Occupational Evaluations by a Psychiatrist
- Drug Testing: Interpretation by a Physician Who Is a Medical Review Officer (MRO)
- What’s the Difference Between a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist? Are They Interchangeable as an Expert Witness?
- The Child & Adolescent IME vs. Adult IME. Forensic vs. Clinical Evaluation.
Endnote
1. The ABPN issues Board-Certifications by Specialty, state-by-state. Triple Board-Certification in Forensic Psychiatry, Brain Injury Medicine and Psychiatry was achieved by fewer than 20 psychiatrists nationally as of 2026. In a given year, confirmation should be made with the ABPN tool ABPN VerifyCert. Board Certification is next awarded in 2027.
Jurisdictions, Venues
Occupational
