scholarly journals Ακούσια εισαγωγή σε ψυχιατρική μονάδα: Από το πνεύμα του νόμου στην καθημερινότητα της εφαρμογής του

Author(s):  
Ειρήνη Γρηγοριάδου ◽  
Ευαγγελία Αμπατζή ◽  
Ευγενία Γεωργάκα

The present study investigates the divergence between the law 2071/92 regarding involuntary commitment of persons with mental disorders to a psychiatric ward and its practical implementation, through information drawn from psychiatrists, attorneys and police officers, who are directly involved in the process, as well as from involuntarily committedpersons. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with four participants from each professional group, and four persons with experience of involuntary commitment. The material wassystematically analysed and organised in categories according to the principles of Grounded Theory. The analysis reveals an adequate picture of the process of involuntary commitment, the aspects of the law thatare implemented and correspondingly those which are not implemented, the difficulties in the implementation of the law, as well as broader issues concerning involuntary commitment. Amongst the central issues highlighted in this study are the distinctiveness of the participants’ roles and the lack of collaboration between them, the importance of dangerousness, which coalesces all the professional participants and overshadows the aim of care, and finally the lack of a prescribed framework for the implementation of the law, which results in significant differences in its implementation depending on the personal stance and knowledge of each professional involved.

Author(s):  
Mohsen Koushan ◽  
Nematullah Shomoossi ◽  
Zahra Parsaei Mehr ◽  
Mostafa Rad

Objective: Mental disorders are often accompanied by serious problems in personal and social communication, including marital problems. In this regard, women whose spouses have mental disorders are less likely to express their mental experiences and emotions due to the cultural barriers of the community. This study aimed to identify and explain the shared mental experiences of women whose spouses suffered from psychotic disorders. Method: This was a qualitative study with a content analysis approach. In total, 15 women whose spouses were admitted to the psychiatric ward of a hospital due to psychotic disorders were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews on experiences of women regarding their spouses’ psychotic disorder. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis techniques.Results: In this study, 28 subcategories and 7 main categories (lack of intimacy, social constraints, dual emotions, confusion and mental exhaustion, fear and concern, coping strategies, and life problems) were developed. Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, women whose spouses suffered from psychotic disorders experienced various psychological challenges. Therefore, it is recommended that the health care staff take such psychological challenges into consideration to design and implement effective strategies to solve the related problems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuks Okpaluba

‘Accountability’ is one of the democratic values entrenched in the Constitution of South Africa, 1996. It is a value recognised throughout the Constitution and imposed upon the law-making organs of state, the Executive, the Judiciary and all public functionaries. This constitutional imperative is given pride of place among the other founding values: equality before the law, the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution. This study therefore sets out to investigate how the courts have grappled with the interpretation and application of the principle of accountability, the starting point being the relationship between accountability and judicial review. Therefore, in the exercise of its judicial review power, a court may enquire whether the failure of a public functionary to comply with a constitutional duty of accountability renders the decision made illegal, irrational or unreasonable. One of the many facets of the principle of accountability upon which this article dwells is to ascertain how the courts have deployed that expression in making the state and its agencies liable for the delictual wrongs committed against an individual in vindication of a breach of the individual’s constitutional right in the course of performing a public duty. Here, accountability and breach of public duty; the liability of the state for detaining illegal immigrants contrary to the prescripts of the law; the vicarious liability of the state for the criminal acts of the police and other law-enforcement officers (as in police rape cases and misuse of official firearms by police officers), and the liability of the state for delictual conduct in the context of public procurement are discussed. Having carefully analysed the available case law, this article concludes that no public functionary can brush aside the duty of accountability wherever it is imposed without being in breach of a vital constitutional mandate. Further, it is the constitutional duty of the courts, when called upon, to declare such act or conduct an infringement of the Constitution.


Author(s):  
ARTAN QERKINI

The market economy and changes within Republic of Kosovo’s legal system, which imposed the need of legal changes within the field of contested procedure also, have caused this procedure to become more efficient vis-à-vis legal provisions which were in force until October 6th 2008. Through the Law on Contested Procedure (hereinafter “LCP”), the legislator has aimed, inter alia, to make the contested procedure more concentrated, and thus, more efficient. In this regard, the Kosovar legislator has determined that it is mandatory for the parties to present any and all relevant evidence for resolving the dispute until the preparatory session, and in the event that one was not held, until the first main hearing session. As an exception, the parties may present relevant evidence even after this stage of proceedings, provided that their failure to present said evidence no later than at the preparatory session, respectively first main hearing session, was through no fault of their own. I consider that these legislative amendments are vital to ensuring practical implementation of the principle of efficience in the contested procedure.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 253-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abirami Kirubarajan ◽  
Stephen Puntis ◽  
Devon Perfect ◽  
Marc Tarbit ◽  
Mary Buckman ◽  
...  

Aims and methodStreet triage services are increasingly common and part of standard responses to mental health crises in the community, but little is understood about them. We conducted a national survey of mental health trusts to gather detailed information regarding street triage services alongside a survey of Thames Valley police officers to ascertain their views and experiences.ResultsTriage services are available in most areas of the country and are growing in scope. There is wide variation in levels of funding and modes of operation, including hours covered. Police officers from our survey overwhelmingly support such services and would like to see them expanded.Clinical implicationsMental health crises now form a core part of policing and there are compelling reasons for the support of specialist services. Recent changes to the law have heightened this need, with a requirement for specialist input before a Section 136 is enacted. Those who have experienced triage services report it as less stigmatising and traumatic than a traditional approach, but there remains little evidence on which to base decisions.Declaration of interestNone.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Y. Franco ◽  
Angela E. Lee-Winn ◽  
Sara Brandspigel ◽  
Musheng L. Alishahi ◽  
Ashley Brooks-Russell

Abstract Background Syringe services programs provide sterile injection supplies and a range of health services (e.g., HIV and HEP-C testing, overdose prevention education, provision of naloxone) to a hard-to-reach population, including people who use drugs, aiming to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. Methods We performed a qualitative needs assessment of existing syringe services programs in the state of Colorado in 2018–2019 to describe—their activities, needs, and barriers. Using a phenomenological approach, we performed semi-structured interviews with key program staff of syringe services programs (n = 11). All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and validated. A data-driven iterative approach was used by researchers to develop a coding scheme to organize the data into major themes found across interviews. Memos were written to synthesize main themes. Results Nearly all the syringe program staff discussed their relationships with law enforcement at length. All syringe program staff viewed having a positive relationship with law enforcement as critical to the success of their program. Main factors that influence the quality of relationships between syringe services programs and law enforcement included: (1) alignment in agency culture, (2) support from law enforcement leadership, (3) police officers’ participation and compliance with the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which provides intensive case management for low-level drug offenders, and (4) implementation of the “Needle-Stick Prevention Law” and Drug Paraphernalia Law Exemption. All syringe program staff expressed a strong desire to have positive relationships with law enforcement and described how a collaborative working relationship was critical to the success of their programs. Conclusions Our findings reveal effective strategies to foster relationships between syringe services programs and law enforcement as well as key barriers to address. The need exists for both syringe services programs and law enforcement to devote time and resources to build a strong, positive partnership. Having such positive relationships with law enforcement has positive implications for syringe services program clients, including law enforcement being less likely to ticket persons for having used syringes, and encourage people who use drugs to seek services from syringe services programs, which can then lead them to other resources, such as housing, wound care, and substance use treatment programs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105413732110068
Author(s):  
Chrysoula Baka ◽  
Kalliopi Chatira ◽  
Evangelos C. Karademas ◽  
Konstantinos G. Kafetsios

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disorder that greatly impacts on patients’ physical and psychosocial wellbeing. The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in Greece (N = 30), with regard to the way they coped with the diagnosis and the symptoms, the psychological implications of the disorder and the meaning they attributed to it. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and they were analyzed using grounded theory. The findings showed that despite the negative implications of the disorder and the difficulty in managing the diagnosis and the symptoms, half of the patients attributed positive meaning to the disorder. Taking care of oneself, re-evaluation of life and a sense of liberation were described as the positive outcomes of experiencing multiple sclerosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 735-740
Author(s):  
Farhad R. Udwadia ◽  
Judy Illes

Supply-side interventions such as prescription drug monitoring programs, “pill mill” laws, and dispensing limits have done little to quell the burgeoning opioid crisis. An increasingly popular demand-side alternative to these measures – now adopted by 38 jurisdictions in the USA and 7 provinces in Canada — is court-mandated involuntary commitment and treatment. In Massachusetts, for example, Part I, Chapter 123, Section 35 of the state's General Laws allows physicians, spouses, relatives, and police officers to petition a court to involuntarily commit and treat a person whose alcohol or drug abuse poses a likelihood of serious harm. This paper explores the ethical underpinnings of this law as a case study for others. First, we highlight the procedural and substantive standards of Section 35 and evaluate the application of the law in practice, including the frequency with which it has been invoked and outcomes. We then use this background to inform an ethical critique of the law. Specifically, we argue that the infringement of autonomy and privacy associated with involuntary intervention under Section 35 is not currently justified on the grounds of a lack of evidenced benefits and a risk of significant of harm. Further ethical concerns also arise from a lack of standard of care provided under the Section 35 pathway. Based on this analysis, we advance four recommendations for change to mitigate these ethical shortcomings.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110302
Author(s):  
Jian Ming Luo ◽  
Ka Yin Chau ◽  
Yulan Fan ◽  
Hong Chen

Green practices and integrated resorts are attracting increasing attention from industry practitioners and academics. However, several barriers limit the growth of green practices, especially in the integrated resorts in Macau. The purpose of this study is to identify the major barriers of implementing green practices in integrated resorts in Macau from the managers’ perspective using qualitative method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 managers from the integrated resort sector in Macau. Grounded theory was adopted along with NVivo 12.0 to analyze the qualitative data collected from the interviews. Results revealed five major barriers to green practices in the integrated resort sector: policies and regulations, management, resources, costs, and awareness. These findings extend existing theoretical explanations for green practices and provide a guideline of implementing green practices in the integrated resort sector for policymakers and practitioners.


2021 ◽  
pp. 009385482110247
Author(s):  
Meret S. Hofer

The functional breadth of the police role is a primary issue facing law enforcement. However, few empirical data examine how officers are experiencing an occupational environment characterized by an increasingly wider range of new (but routine) duties. I take a qualitative approach to explore experiences of work-role overload via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of U.S. police officers ( N = 48). By applying the framework for thematic analysis, I find that work-role overload is a robust feature of police officers’ occupational experiences and presents in two ways: (a) through quantitative overload related to the excessive volume of work demands and (b) qualitative overload related to strained or diminished psychological resources. The findings provide valuable insights for improving the theoretical understanding of work-role overload among police in light of international trends toward broadening law enforcement’s social functions and add to contemporary discussions to “defund the police.”


BJPsych Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Ross ◽  
Chris Watling

BackgroundPsychiatry has faced significant criticism for overreliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and medications with purported disregard for empathetic, humanistic interventions.AimsTo develop an empirically based qualitative theory explaining how psychiatrists use empathy in day-to-day practice, to inform practice and teaching approaches.MethodThis study used constructivist grounded theory methodology to ask (a) ‘How do psychiatrists understand and use empathetic engagement in the day-to-day practice of psychiatry?’ and (b) ‘How do psychiatrists learn and teach the skills of empathetic engagement?’ The authors interviewed 17 academic psychiatrists and 4 residents and developed a theory by iterative coding of the collected data.ResultsThis constructivist grounded theory of empathetic engagement in psychiatric practice considered three major elements: relational empathy, transactional empathy and instrumental empathy. As one moves from relational empathy through transactional empathy to instrumental empathy, the actions of the psychiatrist become more deliberate and interventional.ConclusionsParticipants were described by empathy-based interventions which are presented in a theory of ‘empathetic engagement’. This is in contrast to a paradigm that sees psychiatry as purely based on neurobiological interventions, with psychotherapy and interpersonal interventions as completely separate activities from day-to-day psychiatric practice.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document