[Involuntary admissions to an acute psychiatric ward].

BACKGROUND Involuntary admission to acute psychiatric wards in Norway has not been studied empirically after the introduction of a new Mental Health Act (MHA) 1 January 2001. According to the MHA, observation with coercion can be used to clarify illness. The objectives of this study were to describe scale and circumstances associated with involuntary admissions. METHOD All patients discharged (n = 104) or transferred from an acute ward in the Norwegian county, Hedmark during the first six months of 2005 were included in the study. Information about the patients before and during the stay, including legal issues, was recorded. RESULTS 49 patients (47%) were involuntarily admitted. Within 24 hours 22 (45%) of these had their status changed from involuntary to voluntary. 11 patients were observed with coercion according to the MHA on an average of 4.5 days. CONCLUSION For about half of those admitted involuntarily the time of coerced observation was less than 24 hours. The out-of-hours emergency service referred more patients than regular GPs and the specialized health service, and it should be clarified whether this may lead to unnecessary involuntary admissions. More specific studies are needed on how to reduce involuntary admissions to psychiatric wards.