- The Pro Mente Sana foundation criticizes that there are too many forced admissions to psychiatric clinics in Switzerland.
- Every year, almost 16,000 people in Switzerland are admitted to a psychiatric clinic against their will.
- Pro Mente Sana is now demanding that the measure be dealt with more cautiously
The organization writes that forced accommodation in an institution constitutes a serious infringement of civil liberties. Provided by law as the very last resort, welfare accommodation is imposed too often in Switzerland.
According to Pro Mente Sana, the number of 40 forced admissions ordered in Switzerland every day is above average in a European comparison. According to figures from the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan), the national average in 2020 was 1.8 ordered welfare accommodations per 1000 inhabitants. The cantonal differences were between 0.72 in Appenzell Innerrhoden and 2.72 in Zurich.
Pro Mente Sana is therefore calling for a nationwide standardization of practice. The foundation also aims to reduce forced admissions. The cantons each have their own health laws and a certain degree of discretion in their application.
In the demand for nationwide regulations and a reduction, Pro Mente Sana also reinforces the fact that in the canton of Zurich, for example, every doctor with a license to practice can order a protective deprivation of liberty. In this canton alone, the foundation counted ten such orders a day.
Traumatizing intervention
According to the organization, the benefit of the coercive measure is highly controversial among experts. According to Pro Mente Sana, the fact is that forced admissions are often extremely humiliating and hurtful for those affected. This could have a negative impact on your health. Not a few of them would be picked up by the police.
In addition to the standardization of practice, Pro Mente Sana demands in a position paper that preventive accommodation should only be ordered if there really is no alternative. The authorized professionals available would have to be qualified and certified for this. In the case of an order, the four-eyes principle must apply in any case.
According to the organization, anyone who has been forcibly admitted by decree must be given the right to be heard, informed about their rights and, in particular, about the possibility of making a complaint, and be able to call in a person of trust. In addition, a debriefing should take place after each welfare placement.
Accommodation for the right reasons
The condition for a care placement is a mental disorder, mental impairment or severe neglect, if the necessary treatment or care cannot be provided otherwise. With its proposals, the foundation wants to ensure that the care-giving accommodation is actually ordered out of a care-giving attitude.
Pro Mente Sana developed the five demands as part of its position paper together with lawyers, experts from psychiatry and health care, and those affected. The paper is aimed at child and adult protection authorities, medical staff and the general public and politicians. In early 2023, the foundation will organize a round table.