Background. Compulsory admission procedures of patients with mental disorders vary
between countries in Europe. The Ethics Committee of the European Psychiatric Association
(EPA) launched a survey on involuntary admission procedures of patients with mental
disorders in 40 countries to gather information from all National Psychiatric Associations
that are members of the EPA to develop recommendations for improving involuntary admission
processes and promote voluntary care. Methods. The survey focused on legislation of
involuntary admissions and key actors involved in the admission procedure as well
as most common reasons for involuntary admissions. Results. We analyzed the survey
categorical data in themes, which highlight that both medical and legal actors are
involved in involuntary admission procedures. Conclusions. We conclude that legal
reasons for compulsory admission should be reworded in order to remove stigmatization
of the patient, that raising awareness about involuntary admission procedures and
patient rights with both patients and family advocacy groups is paramount, that communication
about procedures should be widely available in lay-language for the general population,
and that training sessions and guidance should be available for legal and medical
practitioners. Finally, people working in the field need to be constantly aware about
the ethical challenges surrounding compulsory admissions.
