Introduction: Statistical data prove that mental illnesses present an ever bigger and ever more worrying health problem. The most important fact is that mental patients are equal to patients without mental illnesses, although the society still stigmatizes and discriminates mental patients despite this being strictly prohibited in constitutional and legislative provisions. The most common cause of accident and emergency department visits in psychiatric patients is suicide attempt. Hospitalization could be very traumatic and stressful for the patient. The Mental Health Act makes provisions for two types of placement considering patient’s consent, voluntary and involuntary. For involuntary placement all requirements of Article 39 of the Mental Health Act must be met. Purpose: We wanted to find out how psychiatric patients are treated in emergency medical services, what their rights and laws regarding involuntary placement are, and describe the importance and roles of nurses in involuntary placement. Methods of work: A descriptive method of research with a literature search has been used in the writing of this diploma paper. The literature search was performed from November 2017 to mid-January 2018 with the aid of databases CINAHL with Full Text, Cochrane Collaboration, Medline (Pubmed) and COBISS.SI and by using Google Scholar browser. Discussion and conclusion: The Mental Health Act makes provisions for involuntary placement to be carried out in two possible ways. One is based on a court order with a psychiatrist’s recommendation or a recommendation from a social work centre, a supervised treatment coordinator, a close relative or a district court. The second is in emergencies before a court order. It also stipulates the absence of discrimination, stigmatization, differentiation and separation of mental patients. Involuntary placement is definitely one of the most prominent ethical dilemmas, because the process engages the dilemma of the individual’s freedom and the need for the patient’s protection. It should be noted that other methods, such as communication and the use of medication, should be used before using force. Both verbal and non-verbal communications are essential. The admission of an aggressive, psychotic patient could be very stressful and presents high risk for the safety of the medical staff. The admission requires a therapeutic attitude, which is built on expert knowledge by therapeutic communication and de-escalation techniques. We should also take into account empathy, which plays an important role in the nurses’ profession. By means of empathy the nurse can get close to the patient and get their trust.
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