title: [The appointed guardian--a counsellor of the forensic psychiatric patient?].
abstract: Forensic psychiatric patients who are submitted to a special measure, are according to the new mental health act allowed to complain of certain coercive measures. In contrast to other psychiatric patients forensic patients are not allotted a patient counsellor. Instead these patients must use an appointed guardian if they need assistance in complaining. The forensic files of 51 patients have been reviewed with a focus on the presence of appointed guardians and previous remand prison. In spite of the requirements of the penal code, only two-thirds of the patients had an appointed guardian on the day of registration. Only one third of the patients were allotted an appointed guardian in connection with pronouncement of sentence. More extensive investigations of this problem would be desirable. As the appointed guardian and the patient counsellor are not identically qualified, the forensic psychiatric patient receives inferior assistance if he wishes to complain. The new section in the penal code dealing with appointed guardians will to some extent change this state of things.
authors: Psykiatrisk afdeling Y., Amtssygehuset i Herlev.
authors: N J
authors: NJ
authors: Hasle
mesh_terms: D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003376:Counseling; D003718:Denmark; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D011361:Professional Competence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
vernacular_title: Bistandsvaergen--den retspsykiatriske patients patientrådgiver?