Modes and impact of coercive inpatient treatment for drug-related conditions in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND Two forms of institutionalized pressure to treatment can be distinguished in Switzerland: civil commitment and court referral. In court referral, the referred patient has the right to refuse treatment. OBJECTIVES To compare court referrals for inpatient treatment to voluntary therapy. METHODS Comparison of interviews at treatment entry and discharge records. RESULTS There were few systematic differences at entry except for voluntary subjects having had less contact with the legal system before treatment, independently of the specific court referral. At discharge, voluntary patients had a better social integration and fewer legal problems. DISCUSSION Legal problems waiting for court referrals at discharge may be a significant handicap for reintegration. Otherwise, voluntary patients and court referrals showed few systematic differences in inpatient treatment.