Llaves programadas

As stated before, in the present chapter the focus is on the experience of people who have been in involuntary mental health care. The set of themes which emerged during data analysis shows the resilience and critical thinking of some of the respon- dents who have gone through involuntary psychiatry. After leaving psychiatry, several participants expressed their views on alternatives and in several cases such alternatives were viewed to be efective and helpful.

The participation in a mental health forum organised by the French network for the hearing of voices (REV) was an important improvement for me, just like the trainings which also allow me to meet people who make the choice of re- specting each and everybody’s humanity. (FR01)

I think there needs to be an option of safe place where persons in need (because of the crisis or some unusual experi- ence), will be able to go and stay, without medication. Or with medication, but only according to their wishes. I would very much have preferred this option. And, it is important to enable the patient to say what he/she need in advance. (GE01)

Now, I feel that the experience of forced hospitalisation and overdosing with drugs was unnecessary and it could have been avoided. If only I had had the opportunity to choose and pay a psychotherapist or if I had more support and atten- tion from the family, or if I was a member of a psychiatric association and went to art therapy. (SRB02)

I tried 20 diferent forms of alternative therapy – using barter for those I couldn’t aford, and even found a sympathetic doctor who actually listened. (UK01)

Many testimonies were submitted by people, who have become advocates or activists since their hospitalisation. Human rights, a sense of justice and peer-support are recurring themes in these personal accounts. Several participants claim that becoming an activist or seeking justice actually helped them overcome negative feelings forced hospitalisations caused. Testimonies from countries like France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Spain and the UK detailed the eforts of respondents around advocacy and speaking out about their experiences in involuntary mental health care.

And this is why I went through the step of asking for access to the medical iles so late, because it was so complicated to return to this past in full force, really. So I went through this step late and today I hope that… I would like to obtain a conviction, even if symbolic. For me, it will be important to heal me completely. (FR02)

The experience changed the course of my life, instead of being a biologist (I have MD in Biology), I became involved in NGO work. Because when I looked at this awful situation in hospitals I understood that theoretical knowledge gained by science means nearly nothing if you don’t have the proper implementation. (GE01)

This self-struggle has changed me till this day. I have learned to be less obsessed with goals like making a career, the desire for material things, and even distance myself from relationships. (…) The way how I face situations now, my ability to deal with things in a diferent way, values I cherish, my body which I have learned to defend, and my spirit of activism which is always a part of me, everywhere I go. (GER02)

I wrote about this when I published the book about my experiences. (HUN01)

I can tell my story and it is met with so much silence and unwillingness to listen and validate that these are grave human rights violations. I want a legal ban on psychiatry’s ‘free-state’ human rights violations. (NO01)

Since then, I´ve been doing my best to help people in situations like me, and I can say, that it has helped me as well. (…) From my point of view, one of the best ways to do this is to have a strong user movement(…). We have laws, but if there are no pressure groups, it is diicult for these laws to be respected. (ESP01)

My anti-ECT stance helped me regain some of the campaigning zeal of my youth, and I’ve broadened out, been involved in anti-war and anti-fracking protests… (UK01)

CONCLUSIONS

The data collected provided a range of insights into how people have experienced forced psychiatric treatment across dif- ferent countries. What remains most striking though is not only the variety but also the consistency of testimonies in their main features – people from various linguistic or social backgrounds, in various welfare and cultural contexts, from diferent parts of Europe feel similarly traumatised by forced mental health care. Based on personal testimonies, the human rights of users of psychiatry are systematically ignored across Europe.

The indings of this report also correspond with other recent observations about coercion and restraint in mental health (Rose, Perry, Rae, & Good, 2017). As both Rose et al. (2017) and Tania Strout (2010) observed, perceptions of involuntary treatment or restraint are overwhelmingly traumatic and can be grouped in four categories: negative psychological impact, re-traumatisation, perceptions of unethical practices, and broken spirit. There can be several reasons why present psychiatric practices should be reconsidered and changed, but the voices of those who experienced involuntary treatment should be integral part of any debate.

Finally, it is important to note that some of the respondents reacted to traumatic experiences by becoming active in the emerging advocacy movement of users/ex-users of psychiatry. It is the assertion of this report that such pathway from trau- ma to activism may be present and that the growing movement of advocates and Mad Studies scholars (for example ‘survivor researchers’ – see Russo and Sweeney, 2016) may be able to both help people overcoming their traumatic experiences and changing the discourse or the political power relations presently allowing for running psychiatric practises that may harm many people.

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