The procedure of involuntary hospitalization of persons with mental disorder in light of the human rights protection standards

Abstract

This paper is aimed at analyzing the procedure of involuntary hospitalization of persons with mental disorder. Considering the fact that enforced hospitalization interferes with the fundamental human rights and individual freedoms, the rules of involuntary hospitalization procedure have to provide for the legality of decisions, prevent possible abuses and enable the exercise of legitimate rights and interests of persons with mental disorder confined to treatment in psychiatric institutions. Bearing in mind the significance of the involuntary hospitalization procedure, the author of this paper provides a critical analysis of the national regulation on involuntary hospitalization. The aim of this analysis is to observe whether the rules of involuntary hospitalization procedure comply with the generally recognized international and European standards on the human rights protection of persons with mental disorder, and to identify the shortcomings of the existing mechanism of involuntary hospitalization. Taking into consideration the results of this analysis, the author points to the necessity of reforming the involuntary hospitalization procedure and proposes possible directions for a further improvement of this legal institute

Position and treatment of convicts with mental disorders in penal system

“…Taj zakon propisuje da se osoba s mentalnim smetnjama za koju doktor medicine ili psihijatar proceni da, usled mentalnih smetnji, ozbiljno i direktno ugrožava sopstveni život, zdravlje ili bezbednost, ili bezbednost drugog, može smestiti u psihijatrijsku ustanovu bez svog pristanka samo ukoliko nisu na raspolaganju manje restriktivni načini za pružanje zdravstvene pomoći. Prinudna hospitalizacija je prihvatljiva metoda društvene kontrole OMP samo pod uslovom da je to jedini način njihove zaštite, da je sprovođenjem sudskih postupaka otklonjena svaka mogućnost zloupotrebe, da su prinudno hospitalizovanim osobama obezbeđeni adekvatan smeštaj, uslovi života i medicinski tretman, te da se u potpunosti poštuju njihova ljudska prava (Petrušić, 2007).…”