About this video

Between Help, Power, and the Necessity of Consistent Control
The psychiatry fulfills an important task in our society. Millions of people receive help there for severe mental illnesses, acute crises, or suicidal danger. At the same time, there are repeated reports of misjudgments, grievances, and abuse of power. Especially because psychiatry can deeply interfere with the fundamental rights of a person, it must subject itself to particularly critical public scrutiny.

Help and Coercion – a Sensitive Tension Field

Hardly any other medical field has comparable powers. Under certain legal conditions, people can be admitted, treated, or temporarily restricted in their freedom of movement against their will. Such measures are intended to protect the affected person or others. At the same time, they carry a high risk of misjudgments and require careful legal and medical examination.

Where Criticism is Repeatedly Voiced

Human rights organizations, patient representatives, and those affected have criticized various problem areas for years:

Incorrect or hasty diagnoses with far-reaching consequences.
Inadequate involvement of those affected in treatment decisions.
Excessive use of sedative medications without sufficient information.
Freedom-restricting measures that are perceived as disproportionate.
Staff shortages and time pressure, making individual care more difficult.
Difficult options to contest decisions during an admission.

Not every criticism applies to every institution. Many psychiatric clinics work with commitment and responsibility. Nevertheless, documented individual cases show that grievances can occur and must be taken seriously.

Power Demands Control

Where people can decide about the freedom of others, transparency and independent control are indispensable. That is why many professionals demand:

regular external quality controls,
stronger patient rights,
easily accessible independent complaint offices,
better documentation of coercive measures,
sufficient staff and continuous training.

Only through understandable decisions can trust be built.

The Perspective of Those Affected

Many former patients report that they felt not taken seriously or disempowered during their stay. Others describe, however, that psychiatric treatment saved their lives. These differing experiences show that reality is complex. Blanket judgments do not do justice to the diversity of situations.

For this reason, reports from those affected should be taken seriously, carefully examined, and – if errors are confirmed – consequences should be drawn.

Human Dignity Must Come First

Mental illnesses must never lead to people losing their dignity. Every treatment should be guided by the fundamental principles of medicine: respect, information, proportionality, and as much voluntary cooperation as possible. Coercion may only be the last resort and must remain legally verifiable.

Conclusion

A modern psychiatry needs the trust of the population. This trust does not arise from isolation, but from openness, independent control, and the willingness to learn from mistakes. Criticism of grievances does not mean questioning the entire psychiatry. Rather, it is a prerequisite for ensuring that patients are best protected and psychiatric help reaches where it is truly needed.

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