Publications by authors named "A Dembinskas"
Background: The decision to adopt forced medication in psychiatric care is particularly relevant from a clinical and ethical viewpoint. The European Commission has funded the EUNOMIA study in order to develop European recommendations for good clinical practice on coercive measures, including forced medication.
Methods: The recommendations on forced medication have been developed in 11 countries with the involvement of national clinical leaders, key-professionals and stakeholders' representatives.
Do patient and ward-related characteristics influence the use of coercive measures? Results from the EUNOMIA international study.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
October 2014
Purpose: This study aims to identify whether selected patient and ward-related factors are associated with the use of coercive measures. Data were collected as part of the EUNOMIA international collaborative study on the use of coercive measures in ten European countries.
Methods: Involuntarily admitted patients (N = 2,027) were divided into two groups.
Article Synopsis
- The study highlights that despite recognized gender differences in schizophrenia, little research has focused on how these differences affect the use of coercive measures during treatment.
- A cohort of 522 coerced patients (291 men and 231 women) was analyzed to assess their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, revealing that coerced women exhibited worse social functioning than men, contrary to findings in non-coerced patients.
- Additionally, the study found that women displayed aggressive behavior more often, while men engaged in more severe acts, leading to different patterns of coercive measures used, with forced medication more common for women and physical restraint for men.
Objective: Large numbers of psychiatric patients either are involuntarily admitted to hospital treatment or feel coerced despite a legally voluntary admission. For ethical and clinical reasons, their perceived coercion should be reduced as far as possible. There is however limited evidence on patient characteristics associated with perceived coercion during hospital treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Coerced admission to psychiatric hospitals, defined by legal status or patient's subjective experience, is common. Evidence on clinical outcomes however is limited. This study aimed to assess symptom change over a three month period following coerced admission and identify patient characteristics associated with outcomes.
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