[Coercion and urge from a care ethics perspective].

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Bioethics
• Mental Healthcare Policy

Background:

• Coercion is a significant and frequently debated topic within psychiatric practice.
• Existing frameworks often overlook the nuanced ethical considerations of coercion in care relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an ethics of care perspective on coercion in psychiatry.
• To analyze the moral dimensions of the caregiver-care recipient relationship.
• To explore strategies for preventing and reducing coercion through an ethical lens.

Main Methods:

• Examined the care-ethical dimensions of the High and Intensive Care (HIC) model.
• Analyzed the Dutch Compulsory Mental Health Care Act (Wvggz) through an ethics of care framework.

Main Results:

• The HIC model integrates ethics of care principles, fostering shifts from control to contact, reactive to proactive approaches, and individuality to solidarity.
• The Wvggz acknowledges relational aspects of coercion more than previous legislation but its procedural complexities can impede therapeutic relationships.
• Ethics of care principles highlight the importance of the care relationship as foundational in psychiatric practice.

Conclusions:

• An ethics of care perspective provides a valuable framework for addressing coercion in psychiatry.
• The HIC model serves as a practical application of these care-ethical principles.
• While the Wvggz promotes collaboration, its procedural demands may paradoxically hinder essential care contact.