Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Feb;31(1):99-112.
doi: 10.1007/s12264-014-1493-5. Epub 2015 Jan 16.

Involuntary admission and treatment of patients with mental disorder

Simei Zhang  1 , Graham Mellsop, Johann Brink, Xiaoping Wang
Affiliations
Review

Involuntary admission and treatment of patients with mental disorder

Simei Zhang et al. Neurosci Bull. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

Despite the efforts of the World Health Organization to internationally standardize strategies for mental-health care delivery, the rules and regulations for involuntary admission and treatment of patients with mental disorder still differ markedly across countries. This review was undertaken to describe the regulations and mental-health laws from diverse countries and districts of Europe (UK, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Norway), the Americas (Canada, USA, and Brazil), Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), and Asia (Japan and China). We outline the criteria and procedures for involuntary admission to psychiatric hospitals and to community services, illustrate the key features of laws related to these issues, and discuss their implications for contemporary psychiatric practice. This review may help to standardize the introduction of legislation that allows involuntary admission and treatment of patients with mental disorders in the mainland of China, and contribute to improved mental-health care. In this review, involuntary admission or treatment does not include the placement of mentally-ill offenders, or any other aspect of forensic psychiatry.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ikehara Y. Involuntary placement and treatment of persons with mental health problems. Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi. 2013;115:759–766. - PubMed
    1. Salize HJ, Dreßing H, Peitz M. Central Institute of Mental Health Research Project Final Report, Mannheim, Germany. 2002. Compulsory admission and involuntary treatment of mentally ill patients-legislation and practice in EU-member states; p. 15.
    1. World Health Organization. Mental Health Care Law: Ten Basic Principles. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1996.
    1. Dawson J, Kämpf A. Incapacity principles in mental health laws in Europe. Psychol Public Policy Law. 2006;12:310–331. doi: 10.1037/1076-8971.12.3.310. - DOI
    1. Habermeyer E, Rachvoll U, Felthous AR, Bukhanowsky AO, Gleyzer R. Hospitalization and civil commitment of individuals with psychopathic disorders in Germany, Russia and the United States. In: Felthous A, Saβ H, editors. The International Handbook of Psychopathic Disorders and the Law. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons; 2007. pp. 35–60.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources