Introduction: Health care in the field of psychiatry deals with an individual, a family or a community with mental disorders and is based on the process of human communication. Psychiatry, however, differs substantially from the other branches of health care. Often we encounter patients who behave violently and that is why some special protective measures must be taken. These measures may cause ethical dilemmas among the personnel. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma thesis is to present ethical dilemmas that occur when special protective measures in health care in the field of psychiatry are taken. Methods: A systematic overview of literature, both Slovene and English issued between years 2004 and 2016, was made. While searching pertinent articles, we focused on the following criteria: accessibility of the articles, appropriateness of the text, article review, confirmed surveys, professional and scientific articles. Discussion and conclusion: Special protective measures are measures which are taken to limit a patient’s right of self-determination and are taken when the patient’s state is such that they are not capable of making a relevant decision or they present danger to themselves or others. In the field of psychiatry special protective measures are often taken due to patient’s auto- or hetero-aggressive behaviour. That is why health care and psychiatric work are oriented primarily towards recognition of violent behaviour and reduction of its origin. Despite the fact that the use of special protective measures is legally permitted, it still causes stress, helplessness and feeling of wrongdoing among the health workers, which influences their work in the clinical environment.
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