Gerhard Längle1, Wiltrud Bayer. 1. Tübinger Forschungsgruppe Sozialpsychiatrie der Universitätsklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie Tübingen. gerhard.laengle@zfp-zwiefalten.de
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Topic of this article is an investigation on the patients' perspective of involuntary treatment in psychiatry. The results of two studies are presented. METHODS: The first study surveyed 40 patients involuntarily admitted to the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany, according to the commitment law. The interviews were carried out within the first days of admission. The second study carried out a retrospective follow-up of 47 court-committed patients; the mean period between commitment and follow-up was 29 months. RESULTS: The majority of patients evaluated the involuntary treatment as not justified--both in direct context and in a long distance to it. A substantial part of the sample, however, showed insight into illness and treatment at the time of follow-up. Extreme positions were preferred; an ambivalent attitude was rare. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to pay attention to the events around the involuntary treatment individually and to offer systematic aftercare.
OBJECTIVE: Topic of this article is an investigation on the patients' perspective of involuntary treatment in psychiatry. The results of two studies are presented. METHODS: The first study surveyed 40 patients involuntarily admitted to the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany, according to the commitment law. The interviews were carried out within the first days of admission. The second study carried out a retrospective follow-up of 47 court-committed patients; the mean period between commitment and follow-up was 29 months. RESULTS: The majority of patients evaluated the involuntary treatment as not justified--both in direct context and in a long distance to it. A substantial part of the sample, however, showed insight into illness and treatment at the time of follow-up. Extreme positions were preferred; an ambivalent attitude was rare. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to pay attention to the events around the involuntary treatment individually and to offer systematic aftercare.
Authors: Daniel Schöttle; Friederike Ruppelt; Benno G Schimmelmann; Anne Karow; Alexandra Bussopulos; Jürgen Gallinat; Klaus Wiedemann; Daniel Luedecke; Anja Christine Rohenkohl; Christian G Huber; Thomas Bock; Martin Lambert Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2019-10-24 Impact factor: 4.157