[The development of legal guardianship and involuntary treatment in a Bavarian catchment area in comparison to trends at the federal state and the federal level between 1999 and 2009].

OBJECTIVE: In this study trends in legal guardianship and involuntary treatment in a Bavarian catchment area in comparison to trends at federal state and federal level between 1999 and 2009 will be examined.
METHODS: Data from the federal department of justice, from the federal health monitoring system and data from a district court were used to compute rates, quotas and quotients. Regression analyses were conducted to analyse associations between time series.
RESULTS: In comparison to the federal state and the federal level the target region shows a significantly higher rate of new guardianships but a lower rate of judicial ordered mobility restrictions and at least in comparison to the federal state level a significantly lower rate of involuntary admissions according to guardianship law.
CONCLUSIONS: The obtained differences indicate significant differences in the legal guardianship and involuntary admission practise which cannot be explained by epidemiological developments. Therefore it is necessary to investigate potential socio-cultural and socioeconomic sources for these varieties. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.