Introduction: The initiation of involuntary treatment or special protective measures
undermines trust and can affect the course of the therapeutic relationship. The issue of
treatment against a person's will is a highly interdisciplinary problem that involves ethical,
legal and medical aspects. Purpose: We wanted to explore the ethical aspects of healthcare
in relation to the treatment of individuals with mental illness against their will Methods: In
the diploma thesis, we used a descriptive research method to review relevant scientific and
professional literature in English and Slovene language. We focused on original scientific
and review articles published between 2013 and 2023. Slovene and English keywords were
used to search for literature, including: hospitalizacija proti volji, prisila, avtonomija, etika,
duševno zdravje, involuntary treatment, coercion, autonomy, ethics, mental health. We used
the remote access to foreign bibliographic electronic databases such as Medline, CINAHL,
as well as the Google Scholar browser, the Co-operative Online Bibliographic System and
Services (COBISS.si) and the Digital Library of the University of Ljubljana (DiKUL).
Results: Through communication with the patient, nurses not only express their knowledge
but also their ethical positions, moral values, and emotions, which influence the experience
of involuntary treatment. We found that informal coercion is used unlimitedly and covertly
in everyday clinical situations. Patients have both positive and negative opinions regarding
involuntary treatment, with the latter being more prevalent. Discussion and conclusion: By
admitting patients without their consent, their right to autonomy and dignity is taken away.
The complexity of work in psychiatry requires staff to have constant sensitivity to the ethics
of decisions and actions, work ethic, empathy, and understanding of their own moral role in
relation to others. Ethical challenges are numerous, frequent, and sometimes difficult to
resolve. Nurses are responsible for defending their professional ethical positions in
accordance with the ethics of care they represent.
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