Artikkelen analyserer tvang ved Kriminalasylet under asylets to første bestyrere, Waldemar Bødtker og Hans Evensen, i perioden 1895-1915. Kriminalasylet var en spesialinstitusjon for mannlige kriminelle sinnssyke, og hadde som oppgave både å vaere en behandlingsanstalt og å sikre samfunnet fra potensielt farlige pasienter. Derfor hadde asylet i praksis en posisjon tilhørende både sinnssykeomsorgen og fengselsvesenet. Det var formelt en medisinsk institusjon, men ansvaret var lagt under Justisdepartementet. Artikkelen argumenterer for at bestyrerne av denne grunn hadde en todelt tilnaerming til tvangsmiddelbruk. De fleste pasientene opplevde en hverdag i tråd med psykiatriens davaerende idealer om human behandling, samtidig som enkeltpasienter som ble oppfattet som spesielt farlige, levde under et meget strengt tvangsregime med kontrollmetoder hentet fra fengselsvesenet. Dette illustreres gjennom pasienthistorier. Studien bygger blant annet på pasientjournaler og avdelingsrapporter fra asylets arkiv.
This article analyses the use of coercive measures in two national institutions for high-security psychiatry in Norway – Kriminalasylet (Criminal Asylum) and Reitgjerdet – during the period 1895–1978. Historical study of coercion in psychiatry is a fruitful approach to new insight into the moral and ethical considerations within the institutions. We approach the topic through a qualitative study of patient case files and ward reports from the institutions’ archives, as well as a comprehensive quantification of the coercive measures used. The data show shifting considerations of humane treatment and changes in the respect for human dignity in the institutions’ practices. They also show that technological developments, such as the introduction of new psychopharmaceuticals, did not necessarily lead to higher standards of treatment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.