The patients' opinions about curative factors in involuntary treatment.

The patients' opinions about their treatment are seldom solicited in psychiatry. We studied the opinions of 225 patients about curative factors in their treatment in a maximum security hospital: 90% answered the questions, which evaluated 38 forms of treatment. The patients received help from free walking in the hospital area in 98% of the patients, holidays in 93%, a personal psychiatric nurse in 91%, trips in 91%, communication in 88%, personnel's support in 87% and a psychiatrist in 86%. Medication was considered helpful in 77% and even restriction or isolation in 36% of the patients. If the patient experienced help from the psychiatrist, the cross-tabulation revealed that she or he also received help from many other treatment forms, even from the isolation. Help from the personal psychiatric nurse and medication depended on many other treatment forms. The most helpful treatment factors experienced were liberties and interactive treatment forms.