Coercion and legal protection in psychiatric care in Finland

In this article an overview is given on the complexity of coercion and legal protection in psychiatric care. The Finnish criteria for coercive treatment and some types of coercion are presented. The defining and classifying of mental illnesses are stated to be culturally bound, developing processes. How the incidence of involuntary care correlates with the number of hospital beds is discussed. Some suggestions to improve the legal protection of psychiatric patients in Finland are presented.