Humane treatment versus means of control

Coercive measures in Norwegian high-security psychiatry, 1895–1978

Bibliographic Data

ID19445340
AuthorsMagne Brekke Rabben (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, corresponding author), Øyvind Thomassen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology and St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim)
Year2019
Volume30
Issue4
Pages424-442
Publication date2019-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0957-154X • E-ISSN: 1740-2360
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0957154x19867256
PMID31390904
OpenAlexW2967393633
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited15

This article analyses the use of coercive measures in two national institutions for high-security psychiatry in Norway – Kriminalasylet (Criminal Asylum) and Reitgjerdet – during the period 1895–1978. Historical study of coercion in psychiatry is a fruitful approach to new insight into the moral and ethical considerations within the institutions. We approach the topic through a qualitative study of patient case files and ward reports from the institutions’ archives, as well as a comprehensive quantification of the coercive measures used. The data show shifting considerations of humane treatment and changes in the respect for human dignity in the institutions’ practices. They also show that technological developments, such as the introduction of new psychopharmaceuticals, did not necessarily lead to higher standards of treatment

Forensic psychiatry · Norwegian · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Computer Science · Historical Psychiatry and Medical Practices · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Philosophy · Psychiatric care and mental health services · Psychology

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