Elektrokonvulsionstherapie unter Zwang im stationären Maßnahmenvollzug

Forensic psychiatry has a dual mandate: it is not only aimed at alleviating a patient’s individual suffering but also at reducing the risk of repeat offending because of the illness. Professionals are often faced with the challenge of dealing with severe psychiatric disorders that do not respond adequately to intensive therapeutic efforts.

In this area of tension, the responsibility lies in aligning medical practice with medical and ethical principles, while at the same time complying with legal requirements. A case study from Switzerland is used to illustrate how this challenge can become apparent: the question of whether a person with the mental illness refractory schizophrenia and a lack of rehabilitation prospects may be subjected to electroconvulsive therapy, even against their will, is examined from a medical, ethical, and legal perspective.