Patients' Rights In Psychiatry

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Patients' Rights In Psychiatry
Patients' Rights In Psychiatry

Video: Patients' Rights In Psychiatry

Video: Patients' Rights In Psychiatry
Video: Rights Of Psychiatric Patient II B Sc Nursing 3rd Year II Mental Health Nursing II 2024, March
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Patients' rights in psychiatry

In psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric departments of hospitals, the patients' freedom of movement can be restricted under certain conditions. This restriction of freedom is also known as "accommodation". It exists if, for example, a patient is not allowed to leave the psychiatric department of his own volition, but only with the consent of a doctor, or if the treatment takes place in a closed ward.

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  • more on the subject
  • Advice, downloads & tools
  • Accommodation requirements
  • Patient advocates within the meaning of the Accommodation Act
  • Advice and support from specialized clubs

Accommodation requirements

According to the Accommodation Act (Federal Law Gazette No. 155/1990), a psychiatric ward can only accommodate those who

  • suffers from a mental illness and
  • in connection with this, seriously and seriously endangers his life or health or the life or health of others and
  • cannot receive adequate medical treatment and care in any other way, especially outside an institution.

A person may only be accommodated in a psychiatric hospital against his or her will if a medical officer or a police doctor issues a corresponding certificate after a thorough examination. After admission to a psychiatric department, the head of department must inform a patient advocate immediately. Accommodation may not exceed three months.

Patient advocates within the meaning of the Accommodation Act

The patient advocates in psychiatry represent, advise and support the patients. According to the Accommodation Act, they are provided by associations that are responsible for representing the patients of the mentally ill. The responsible district court appoints specially trained patient advocates for each psychiatric department, who are available to assist the person concerned with accommodation. The patient advocate also takes on legal representation in court and is bound to secrecy.

Advice and support from specialized clubs

The following non-profit associations campaign for the patient rights of mentally ill and mentally handicapped people; Her areas of work include guardianship, patient advocacy and residents' representatives:

  • Association of Representative Networks (Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vienna)
  • Institute for Social Services (Vorarlberg)

Additional Information:

  • You will find the legal text of the Accommodation Act in the legal information system of the Austrian Federal Chancellery.
  • A summary of the changes brought about by the 2010 amendment to accommodation and residence is available at www.help.gv.at.
  • More information on the subject of "Accommodation" and the brochure "Patients' Rights in Psychiatry" for downloading is available from the Association Representation Network.

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