Background Coercion is much discussed topic in psychiatry.
Aim Presentation of an ethics of care perspective on coercion, focusing on the moral aspects of the relationship between care recipient and caregiver, and the prevention and reduction of coercion.
Method Clarification of the care-ethical aspects of the high and intensive care (HIC) model and discussion of the Compulsory Mental Health Care Act (Wvggz).
Results In the HIC model, ethics of care underlies three cultural changes: from control to contact, from reactive to proactive, from individuality to solidarity. More than the older Bopz Act, the Wvggz pays attention to relational aspects of coercion, but the procedures endanger care contact.
Conclusion Ethics of care – in which the care relationship is the starting point – offers a perspective that is of great value to psychiatry. The development of HIC is a concrete example of this. The Wvggz emphasizes collaboration in care, but care contact is hindered in practice by a multitude of procedures.