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New Croatian Law On Protection of Persons with Mental Disorders in Comparison with Mental Health Acts Across Europe: Do We Have a Different View On Human Rights?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

M. Kudumija Slijepcevic
Affiliation:
Private Psychiatric Practice “MKS”, Technical College Bjelovar, Bjelovar, Croatia
N. Jovanovic
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
G. Bilonic
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden
Z. Pastar
Affiliation:
Clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy, Furtbachkrankenhaus, Stuttgart, Germany
S. Drmic
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatric Hospital “Dr Ivan Barbot”, Popovaca, Croatia, Germany
E.C. Albaigès
Affiliation:
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Croatia, Germany

Abstract

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Introduction

Croatia is introducing the new Law on Protection of Persons with mental disorders on January 1, 2015. Major changes are related to the terms of involuntary admissions, thus aiming to improve protection of persons with mental disorders within psychiatric care.

Aim

Aim of this paper is to compare mental health legislation and position of mentally ill people in five EU countries, namely Croatia, Germany, Spain, Sweden and UK.

Methods

Methods of descriptive analysis are employed to explore similarities and differences among countries in relation to the four following indicators - involuntary admission procedure, forms of involuntary treatment, maximum duration of involuntary treatment and patients' legal right to complain.

Results

Despite all being in the EU, countries included in the study vary substantially in their legislation for the practice of involuntary hospital admission which will be presented in details.

Conclusion

How involuntary treatments should be legislated and regulated is highly controversial. We believe that EU countries should join forces to create a common understanding of this issue because legal differences could lead to substantial discrepancies in human right protection practices regarding persons with mental disorders.

Type
Article: 1417
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2015
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