Psychiatric facility (closed) - Accommodation

People suffering from a serious mental illness may be compulsorily committed to a closed psychiatric facility if they pose a current significant danger to themselves or others and this danger cannot be averted in any other way.

For ethical, medical and legal reasons, efforts are made to prevent the use of coercion as far as possible and to avoid it whenever possible. If this is not possible without endangering the life and limb of the person concerned or third parties, the coercive measure must be designed to be as gentle and as safe as possible. Those affected must not be unnecessarily burdened and traumatised.

The same applies to the treatment with medication that often accompanies a placement measure. Since this can be particularly upsetting and sometimes traumatising, it is only used if and as long as it is absolutely necessary and there is no other way to eliminate the danger to oneself or others.

Every accommodation measure must be reviewed by a judge after 24 hours at the latest. For this purpose, the accommodated person must be heard personally by a judge. The attending physicians must submit a psychiatric expert opinion on the reason for and the necessary duration of the measure. A guardian ad litem is appointed ex officio by the court for the purpose of exercising the rights of the accommodated person. Legal action may be taken against the court's accommodation orders.