IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v60y2014i7p695-702.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Involuntary outpatient treatment for mental health problems in Switzerland: A literature review

Author

Listed:
  • Stéphane Morandi
  • Tom Burns

Abstract

Background: In 2008, the Swiss Civil Code was amended. From 1 January 2013, each Swiss canton may propose specific provisions for involuntary outpatient treatment (community treatment orders (CTOs)) for individuals with mental disorders. Aim: This review catalogues the legal provisions of the various Swiss cantons for CTOs and outlines the differences between them. It sets this in the context of variations in clinical provisions between the cantons. Methods: Databases were searched to obtain relevant publications about CTOs in Switzerland. The Swiss Medical Association, Swiss Federal Statistical Office, Swiss Health Observatory and all the 26 Cantonal medical officers were contacted to complete the information. Conférence des cantons en matière de protection des mineurs et des adultes (COPMA), the authority which monitors guardianship legislation, and Pro Mente Sana, a patients’ right association, were also approached. Results: Three articles about CTOs in Switzerland were identified. Psychiatric provisions vary considerably between cantons and only a few could provide complete or even partial figures for rates of compulsion in previous years. Prior to 2013, only 6 of the 20 cantons, for which information was returned, had any provision for CTOs. Now, every canton has some form of legal basis but the level of detail is often limited. In eight cantons, the powers of the measure are not specified (for example, use of medication). In 12 cantons, the maximum duration of the CTO is not specified. German speaking cantons and rural cantons are more likely to specify the details of CTOs. Conclusion: Highly variable Swiss provision for CTOs is being introduced despite the absence of convincing international evidence for their effectiveness or good quality data on current coercive practice. Careful monitoring and assessment of these new cantonal provisions are essential.

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphane Morandi & Tom Burns, 2014. "Involuntary outpatient treatment for mental health problems in Switzerland: A literature review," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 60(7), pages 695-702, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:60:y:2014:i:7:p:695-702
    DOI: 10.1177/0020764013513439
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764013513439
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0020764013513439?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christoph Lauber & Carlos Nordt & Luis Falcato & Wulf Rössler, 2002. "Determinants of Attitude to Volunteering in Psychiatry: Results of a Public Opinion Survey in Switzerland," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 48(3), pages 209-219, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. O Abayomi & AO Adelufosi & A Olajide, 2013. "Changing attitude to mental illness among community mental health volunteers in south-western Nigeria," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 59(6), pages 609-612, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:60:y:2014:i:7:p:695-702. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.