Attitudes of mental health professionals and lay-people towards involuntary admission and treatment in England and Germany--a questionnaire analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To identify attitudes about involuntary admission and treatment in mental health professionals and lay-people and to compare results between England and Germany.


METHODS
Three scenarios of potentially detainable patients were presented to identify attitudes. A questionnaire asked about attitudes towards involuntary admission as well as treatment. A questionnaire analysis was then performed.


RESULTS
There were similar attitudes towards involuntary admission and treatment between lay-people and mental health professionals with the exception of professionals not actively involved in the detention process. The different legal frameworks between Germany and England did not influence attitudes much. Support for involuntary admission and treatment broadly increased with age.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatrists and other mental health workers are in tune with society with regards to attitudes towards involuntary admission. People involved with mentally ill patients but not in the detention process have negative attitudes towards involuntary admission.
Lepping
Peter
P
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust, Cherrybank Resource Centre, 85, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BY, UK. lepping@onetel.net.uk
Steinert
Tilman
T
Gebhardt
Ralf-Peter
RP
Röttgers
Hanns Rüdiger
HR
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D011639:Public Opinion; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires