Differences between elderly voluntary and involuntary admitted psychiatric patients in Greece.

Background: Involuntary psychiatric admission is a controversial issue with legislation varying from country to country. Research on elderly individuals being involuntary admitted has been limited. This study aims first at assessing whether elderly involuntary admitted patients (IAPs) differ with regard to demographic, psychopathological, and behavioral characteristics from voluntary admitted psychiatric patients (VAPs) and second to assess whether the former group should be treated in a different (special) way.