Where the public health principles meet the individual: a framework for the ethics of compulsory outpatient treatment in psychiatry

[Two Ethical Criticisms of the New Mental Health Law]

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World Psychiatric Association-Asian Journal of Psychiatry Commission on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of International Medical Graduates

Historically, doctors have migrated for a range of personal, educational, economic, and political reasons. Likewise, medical students from many countries have moved abroad to complete their training and education and may or may not return to their country of origin. Within this context, globalisation has had a major impact on medical education and healthcare workforces, contributing to recent migration trends. Globalisation is a complex phenomenon with positive and negative outcomes. For example, lower-income countries are regularly losing doctors to higher-income areas, thereby exacerbating strains on existing services. Across various national healthcare settings, migrating International Medical Graduates (IMGs) can face socioenvironmental and psychosocial pressures, which can lead to lower mental wellbeing and undermine their contributions to clinical care. Rates of stress and burnout are generally increasing for doctors and medical students. For IMGs, stressors related to migration, acculturation, and adjustment are not dissimilar to other migrants but may carry with them specific nuances. Accordingly, this Commission will explore the history of IMG trends and the challenges faced by IMGs, proposing recommendations and solutions to support their mental health and wellbeing.

Ethical Issues in Clinical Decision-Making about Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment: A Scoping Review

In mental health and psychiatric care, the use of involuntary psychiatric treatment for people with mental disorders is still a central and contentious issue. The main objective of this scoping review was to map and systematize the literature on ethical issues in clinical decision-making about involuntary psychiatric treatment. Five databases (Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Medline, and Scopus) were searched for articles on this topic. Out of a total of 342 articles found, 35 studies from 14 countries were included based on the selection criteria. The articles were analyzed using the inductive content analysis approach. The following main categories were identified: (1) ethical foundations that guide clinical decision-making; (2) criteria for involuntary psychiatric treatment; (3) gaps, barriers, and risks associated with involuntary psychiatric treatment; (4) strategies used to reduce, replace, and improve the negative impact of involuntary treatment; and (5) evidence-based recommendations. Most of the selected articles discuss the logic underlying involuntary treatment of the mentally ill, exploring ethical principles such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, or justice, as well as how these should be properly balanced. During the process of involuntary psychiatric admission, there was a notable absence of effective communication and a significant power imbalance that disenfranchised those seeking services. This disparity was further intensified by professionals who often use coercive measures without a clear decision-making rationale and by family members who strongly depend on hospital admission. Due to the pluralistic and polarized nature of opinions regarding legal capacity and the complexity and nuance of involuntary admission, further studies should be context-specific and based on co-production and participatory research.

Requests, Issuing, and Hospital Admissions Regarding Mental Health Warrants Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Region in Portugal

INTRODUCTION

Mental health warrants exist in most countries and are issued when patients have severe mental illness, refuse treatment, and present a serious risk to themselves or others. We describe the epidemiology of mental health warrant requests received, and warrants issued by a Public Health Unit in a Portuguese region, as well as subsequent hospital admissions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We used routine administrative data of mental health warrant request entries from a Public Health Unit serving a population of 219 739 individuals and compared the average of monthly requests, issued warrants, and hospital admissions during two separate periods (January 2013 to January 2021 and February 2021 to October 2022) as well as the proportion of warrants issued, hospital admissions among requests, and other patient characteristics. We identified factors associated with hospital admissions among the requests using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Monthly average warrant requests, issued warrants and hospital admissions increased after February 2021 (x̄ 2.87 vs 7.09 p < 0.001; x̄ 2.67 vs 6.42 p < 0.001; x̄ 1.55 vs 3.58 p < 0.001). We found no differences by period in the proportion of requests with issued warrants (92.8% vs 90.6% p = 0.42) nor the proportion of requests with subsequent hospital admissions (54.0% vs 49.0% p = 0.33). In the second period, there were differences in the proportion of patients with a previously diagnosed mental health disorder (95.3% vs 90.4% p = 0.049). There were significant differences in the distribution of the origin of requests. Being unemployed (OR:2.5 CI:1.2 - 5.2), not having completed high school (OR:2.01 CI:1.12 - 3.77) and having university education (OR:3.67 CI:1.27 - 10.57) degree were associated with hospital admission.

CONCLUSION

Severe mental illness with criteria for mental health warrants may require more resources and different approaches due to a possible increase during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Community based mental healthcare, incentivized follow-up by primary care and ambulatory treatment may be considered. Further research should evaluate both the national and international trends and associated factors.