[Coercion and active interference in psychiatry].
It is becoming increasingly clear that the autonomy and legal position of psychiatric patients are impediments to their adequate care. There is a strong emphasis on the voluntary cooperation of the patient involved. The patient as a person appears to be more important than his or her health status. There will always be tension between the right to self-determination and the dangers to the patient's health. There is a need for a law addressing the necessity to treat. In addition, a chain of care should be developed encompassing the whole spectrum of care institutions and centred around the individual's needs for food, shelter, care, financial support and medical attention.