Involuntary admission and the attitude of the general population, and mental health professionals

Objective All studies on the attitude of the general population, mental health professionals, relatives and, finally, those affected towards coercive measures in psychiatry, especially involuntary admission and treatment, are reviewed in this paper. Methods Medline-search with the key words *compulsory admission*, *compulsory hospitalisation*, *compulsory treatment*, *involuntary hospitalisation*, *involuntary admission*, *involuntary treatment*, *professional(s) *, *attitude(s)*, *opinion*, *survey* including papers from 1990 - 2006. Results Very few studies could be found, most of them dealing with the attitude of the general population or mental health professionals towards involuntary admission. Only one study could be identified that investigates the attitudes of patients. Most people, be they general public or mental health professionals, are in favour of involuntary admission. Cultural, professional and individual differences could be identified. Conclusions There is a consensus among different societal groups that people with mental illness might be involuntarily admitted. However, the lack of studies to assess the attitudes of those directly affected must be considered a major limitation.