{"id":76780,"date":"2026-04-22T23:39:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T21:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/?p=76780"},"modified":"2026-04-22T23:43:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T21:43:03","slug":"switzerland-rampant-psychiatric-coercion-and-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/?p=76780","title":{"rendered":"Switzerland\u2014Rampant Psychiatric Coercion and Abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid  vc_custom_1507696989698\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container  col-xs-mobile-fullwidth\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner \"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"last-paragraph-no-margin\"><p><strong>Switzerland\u2014Rampant Psychiatric Coercion and Abuse<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Switzerland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on April 15, 2014, with it entering into force on May 15, 2014. This legally binds Switzerland to promote, protect, and ensure the full, equal enjoyment of human rights for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, every day in Switzerland individuals diagnosed with a mental health issue are forcibly detained and treated in psychiatric hospitals, with a reported 100 restraint measures per day, including forced drugging, physical and mechanical restraint, and isolation in seclusion rooms.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The proportion of individuals admitted to psychiatric hospitals who are prescribed at least one coercive measure increased from 8.1% in 2017 to 10.4% in 2022. It dropped to 8.6% again but is still higher than in 2017.<\/li>\n<li>According to the Swiss Health Observatory, 19,314 \u201dCare-related hospitalizations\u201d (CRH)\u2014deprivations of liberty that can be ordered by the courts or doctor for a period of up to six weeks\u2014were ordered in 2024, an increase of 41.3% since 2016 with 13,671 CRHs.<sup><a href=\"#fn1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The proportion of cases in which at least one restraint measure was applied reached 11.5% in 2021, compared with 9.4% in 2019, according to a study by the National Association for Quality Development in Hospitals and Clinics (ANQ).<sup><a href=\"#fn2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The estimated costs of the mandatory health insurance for psychiatric services in 2021 reached 2,42 billion francs.<sup><a href=\"#fn3\">3<\/a><\/sup> In 2020, psychotropic drugs accounted for nearly 23% of all drugs billed to compulsory outpatient insurance schemes.<sup><a href=\"#fn4\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Work-related mental health issues cost the Swiss economy nearly 20 billion francs each year.<sup><a href=\"#fn5\">5<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Switzerland was the second country after Italy to have electroshock machines and to develop electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).<sup><a href=\"#fn6\">6<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>A 2022 survey of 38 hospitals, revealed 10 delivered electroshock treatment (ECT), with 402 treated patients. All hospitals reported an increase in ECT treatments between 2014 and 2017 except for one with constant numbers. The number of facilities offering ECT almost doubled between 2010 and 2022.<sup><a href=\"#fn7\">7<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>According to an article in the \u201cmagazine de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Lausanne\u201d the CHUV performs more than 2,000 ECT sessions each year.<sup><a href=\"#fn8\">8<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The rates of involuntary hospitalization range from ca. 3% in Ticino to ca. 17,5% in Basel and ca. 20% in Zurich and Vaud. According to an article published in 24 Heures on 24.01.2023, the canton of Vaud administers 6 involuntary commitments per day in psychiatric hospitals or health of social care facilities.<sup><a href=\"#fn9\">9<\/a><\/sup> Under the Article 426, 427, 429 and 431 of the Swiss Civil Code, there is potential to hold people for 3 days, 6 weeks, 6 months or more.<sup><a href=\"#fn10\">10<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>A 2024 study published online by Cambridge University Press, reported that 178,369 hospitalizations in adult psychiatric hospitals (2019\u20132021) in Switzerland, 9.2% (n = 18,800) included at least one coercive measure. Secondary exposures were seclusion, restraint and forced medication. Researchers concluded the evidence highlighted \u201cthe detrimental impact of coercive measures on the mental health of psychiatric inpatients. It underscores the importance of avoiding these measures in psychiatric hospitals and emphasized the urgent need for implementing alternatives in clinical practice.\u201d<sup><a href=\"#fn11\">11<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The Aargau Psychiatric Services (PDAG) have recorded 33 \u201cunusual deaths\u201d over the past six years. Most of these were suicides, but there were also accidents and medical incidents. Some of the individuals died during or shortly after their hospitalization.<sup><a href=\"#fn12\">12<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"fn1\">F\u00fcrsorgerische Unterbringung in Schweizer Psychiatrien | Obsan \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.letemps.ch\/sciences\/sante\/je-ne-me-suis-pas-sentie-soignee-mais-soumise-en-hopital-psychiatrique-le-douloureux-choix-de-la-contrainte\">https:\/\/www.letemps.ch\/sciences\/sante\/je-ne-me-suis-pas-sentie-soignee-mais-soumise-en-hopital-psychiatrique-le-douloureux-choix-de-la-contrainte<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn2\">\u201cRestraints increasingly used on psychiatric patients in Switzerland,\u201d SWI, 31 Dec. 2022 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/business\/restraints-increasingly-used-on-psychiatric-patients-in-switzerland\/48161720\">https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/business\/restraints-increasingly-used-on-psychiatric-patients-in-switzerland\/48161720<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn3\">Source: Swiss Health Observatory \u2013 Bulletin 01\/2023 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obsan.admin.ch\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-05\/Obsan_BULLETIN_2023_01_d.pdf\">https:\/\/www.obsan.admin.ch\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-05\/Obsan_BULLETIN_2023_01_d.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn4\">Swiss Health Observatory \u2013 Bulletin 01\/2022 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obsan.admin.ch\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-03\/Obsan_BULLETIN_2022-01_d_3.pdf\">https:\/\/www.obsan.admin.ch\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-03\/Obsan_BULLETIN_2022-01_d_3.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rts.ch\/info\/societe\/2025\/article\/sante-mentale-au-travail-un-defi-a-20-milliards-pour-les-entreprises-suisses-29036993.html\">https:\/\/www.rts.ch\/info\/societe\/2025\/article\/sante-mentale-au-travail-un-defi-a-20-milliards-pour-les-entreprises-suisses-29036993.html<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn6\">G. Corbin de Mangoux et al., \u201cHistory of ECT in Schizophrenia: From Discovery to Current Use,\u201d Schizophrenia Bulletin Open, 2022 Aug 24 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11205978\/\">https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11205978\/<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/schizbullopen\/article\/3\/1\/sgac053\/6674259?login=false\">https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/schizbullopen\/article\/3\/1\/sgac053\/6674259?login=false<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn7\">Wilhelmy, Saskia PhD, et al., \u201cElectroconvulsive Therapy in Switzerland: A Survey on Contemporary Practice in Remembrance of a Historical Meeting,\u201d Journal of ECT, Sept. 2023 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/ectjournal\/abstract\/2023\/09000\/electroconvulsive_therapy_in_switzerland__a_survey.15.aspx\">https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/ectjournal\/abstract\/2023\/09000\/electroconvulsive_therapy_in_switzerland__a_survey.15.aspx<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn8\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/allezsavoir\/le-renouveau-des-electrochocs\/\">https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/allezsavoir\/le-renouveau-des-electrochocs\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn9\">Placement \u00e0 des fins d\u2019assistance: Chaque jour, six internements de force ont lieu dans le canton, 24 Heures, 24.01.2023.<\/li>\n<li id=\"fn10\">Florian Hotzy, \u201cCross-Cultural Notions of Risk and Liberty: A Comparison of Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalization and Outpatient Treatment in New York, United States and Zurich, Switzerland,\u201d Frontiers in Psychiatry, 19 June 2018 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6020767\/\">https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6020767\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn11\">S. Baggio et al., \u201cEffect of coercive measures on mental health status in adult psychiatric populations: a nationwide trial emulation,\u201d Cambridge University Press, 12 Sept. 2024 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/epidemiology-and-psychiatric-sciences\/article\/effect-of-coercive-measures-on-mental-health-status-in-adult-psychiatric-populations-a-nationwide-trial-emulation\/517782C3DC912E1802AE50D48364BF39\">https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/epidemiology-and-psychiatric-sciences\/article\/effect-of-coercive-measures-on-mental-health-status-in-adult-psychiatric-populations-a-nationwide-trial-emulation\/517782C3DC912E1802AE50D48364BF39<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn12\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.24heures.ch\/suisse-33-deces-en-six-ans-dans-une-clinique-psychiatrique-316834336092\">https:\/\/www.24heures.ch\/suisse-33-deces-en-six-ans-dans-une-clinique-psychiatrique-316834336092<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><div class=\"last-paragraph-no-margin\"><p><strong>National Commission for the Prevention of Torture (NKVF)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The NKVF &#8222;regularly reviews the situation of persons deprived of their liberty and regularly visits all places where persons are or may be deprived of their liberty.&#8220; In addition to prisons and other correctional facilities, this includes psychiatric wards and nursing homes. The commission issues reports on its findings and recommendations. For example:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Psychiatric services of the Solothurn hospitals (October 21 and 22, 2024):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Individuals were taken by cantonal police and the Solothurn Psychiatric Services directly to a psychiatric clinic and detained against their will, even though they were essentially voluntary.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Covert administration of drugs:<\/strong> The report mentions three instances of covert administration of medication without the patient\u2019s knowledge, under a \u201ctreatment plan\u201d written without the involvement of the patient or their relatives. The NKVF writes: \u201cAny treatment without consent, or treatment in an emergency constitutes a serious interference with physical and mental integrity, which is protected by the right to personal freedom (Art. 10 para. 2 Swiss Federal Constitution)\u2026The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) considers involuntary treatment that is not necessary to be inhuman or degrading within the meaning of Art. 3 ECHR. Treatment without consent (Art. 434 Swiss Civil Code) must be provided for in the treatment plan and ordered by a senior physician in writing in the form of a decree. In addition, the order must contain information on legal remedies, which must be handed to the person concerned and a trusted person.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Frequent restraints of individuals with dementia:<\/strong> Restraints were found applied, often lasting hours: \u201cThe delegation found that restraint equipment was attached to eight of the 17 beds in ward D0. According to the documentation system, 10 of the 17 patients were restrained at least once during their current stay \u2013 often, however, multiple times and for extended periods. A single restraint usually lasted several hours and was sometimes used as a repeated measure over several days, in some cases even weeks. Individual patients were restrained in their beds and armchairs for up to 20 hours a day.\u201d Further, \u201cThe extremely frequent use of restraints such as abdominal belts with leg cuffs or reclining chairs with small tables for several hours, repeated over several days or even weeks, on patients with dementia is, in the Commission\u2019s opinion, disproportionate and may constitute inhuman treatment. Inadequate staffing resources can never be a justification for the use of restraints.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Isolation:<\/strong> \u201cAccording to the documentation system, current patients were isolated for four days in one case, five days in three cases, six days in one case, and seven days in another case. On the day of the visit, one patient had already been in isolation for nine days, with a two-day interruption. Other patients reported that they had been isolated for several days in some cases. According to staff, isolation can last between 15 minutes and ten days, and in exceptional cases even longer.\u201d<sup><a href=\"#fn13\">13<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li><strong>Appenzell Ausserrhoden Psychiatric Center (22 November 2022):<\/strong> Many instances of isolation were also carried out\u2014660 in 2020, 641 in 2021, and 681 in 2022. These incidents include confinement in a secure area, table restraints,<sup><a href=\"#fn14\">14<\/a><\/sup> Zewi blankets,<sup><a href=\"#fn15\">15<\/a><\/sup> alarm mats,<sup><a href=\"#fn16\">16<\/a><\/sup> and bed rails.<sup><a href=\"#fn17\">17<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dangers of psychiatric coercion highlighted:<\/strong> Coercive measures such as forced medication, seclusion, and mechanical restraint can cause serious physical and psychological harm, often evoking feelings of abuse, punishment, humiliation, and anxiety. They raise ethical, legal, and human rights concerns and may constitute inhuman or degrading treatment.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"13\">\n<li id=\"fn13\">Report by the National Commission for the Prevention of Torture (NKVF) to the Government Council of the Canton of Solothurn on its visit to the psychiatric services of the Solothurn hospitals on October 21 and 22, 2024; Bern, 1 April 2025.<\/li>\n<li id=\"fn14\">This is a device that prevents the patient from leaving the chair or seating area by restricting their movement to a certain extent. The table can either be permanently attached to the chair or movable, making it difficult to access or leave the chair in certain situations.<\/li>\n<li id=\"fn15\">A Zewi blanket (restraint sheet) is used to restrain the person to the bed, but they can still move their upper body freely. Example: <a href=\"https:\/\/tetcon-ge.com\/de\/product\/pflegedecke-sicherheit\/\">https:\/\/tetcon-ge.com\/de\/product\/pflegedecke-sicherheit\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn16\">Triggers an alarm when the person enters it. It allows patients to be monitored without physical restraint.<\/li>\n<li id=\"fn17\">Report to the Government Council of the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden concerning the visit of the National Commission for the Prevention of Torture (NKVF) to the Psychiatric Center Appenzell Ausserrhoden, 22 Nov., 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><div class=\"last-paragraph-no-margin\"><p><strong>Swiss Codes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Switzerland, forced medication can be applied during an emergency (Art. 435 of the Civil Code) or over a longer period in case of endangerment of others or oneself (Art. 434), unless a living will exist and is known. However even such living wills are not always respected as witnesses say.<\/p>\n<p>Forced medication prescriptions in the Division of Adult Psychiatry of the Geneva University Hospitals between 2018 and 2021 were analyzed. Seventy-one out of 4,326 inpatients were subjected to forced medication.<sup><a href=\"#fn18\">18<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>According to a 2023 study in Frontiers in Psychiatry, \u201cThe use of coercive measures remains an ethical and clinical challenge in psychiatry. Coercion involves legal, human rights-related, and ethical issues and should thus be a central concern for mental health services. Coercive measures such as forced medication, seclusion or mechanical restraint can have serious physical and psychological consequences on patients, and often go with feelings of abuse, punishment, or humiliation and anxiety.\u201d<sup><a href=\"#fn19\">19<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>A comparison of legislations regarding forced medication among four representative countries (England, Germany, France, and Italy) near Switzerland geographically and culturally shows how widely dissimilar this coercive measure is implemented in practice.<\/p>\n<p>Two different legislative articles regulate patients\u2019 treatment at the hospital, depending on whether there is a state of acute emergency or not.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Article 434 of the Civil Code:<\/strong> The administration of treatment without consent\u2014not necessarily in an emergency\u2014is regulated by the Article 434 of the Civil Code. It concerns the repeated administration of medication to treat a pathology and not only to manage acute agitation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Article 435 of the Civil Code:<\/strong> regulates the treatment in emergencies. This means that a unique dose of medication [psychotropic drugs] can be administrated immediately, whether the protection of the person or others demands it.<\/p>\n<p>In general, according to the law, during involuntary hospitalizations and when a treatment plan has been established, a patient may receive forced medication if their consent is lacking in the following three circumstances:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the lack of treatment could seriously endanger the health of the person concerned, as well as the life and integrity of others;<\/li>\n<li>the patient does not have the ability to discern the need for treatment; and<\/li>\n<li>there are no less invasive measures available to limit the danger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, there is a real difference between an isolated emergency episode (single emergency treatment regulated by Art. 435) and recurrent medication without consent (regulated by Art. 434). In the latter situation, the patient has the legal right to appeal to the Civil Court. The treatment can be started immediately, independently of the patient\u2019s appeal. This treatment is limited to the inpatient setting.<sup><a href=\"#fn20\">20<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In a report dated 13 April 2022, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recommended that Switzerland eliminate all forms of forced medical treatment from its laws, policies, and practices. A related motion in the National Council (No. 20.3657), introduced by parliamentarian Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, was narrowly rejected.<\/li>\n<li>In August 2022, the Observatoire romand de la contrainte en psychiatrie (ORCEP) was established to document the experiences of psychiatric service users and examine coercive practices in mental health care. The initiative aims to strengthen evidence-based discussion on the use of coercion in psychiatry.<sup><a href=\"#fn21\">21<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Yet, by December 2022, SWI reported that committing patients against their will, tying them to their beds, isolating them in rooms, and administering forced medication were relatively common methods at psychiatric clinics in Switzerland. In mid-December, the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) published a report on forced placements, recommending several clarifications, especially on a patient\u2019s possibilities for self-determination.<sup><a href=\"#fn22\">22<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"18\">\n<li id=\"fn18\">Giulia Meroni, et al., \u201cTreatment without consent in adult psychiatry inpatient units: a retrospective study on predictive factors,\u201d Frontiers in Psychiatry, Vol. 14, 9 Aug. 2023 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/psychiatry\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2023.1224328\/full\">https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/psychiatry\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2023.1224328\/full<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn19\">Ibid.<\/li>\n<li id=\"fn20\">Giulia Meroni, et al., \u201cTreatment without consent in adult psychiatry inpatient units: a retrospective study on predictive factors,\u201d Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14:122432, 10 Aug. 2023 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10447976\/\">https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10447976\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn21\"><a href=\"https:\/\/orcep.promentesana.org\">https:\/\/orcep.promentesana.org<\/a> \u2014 \u201c30 years of activities and a focus on forced treatment,\u201d Editor of the &#8222;ESPRITS&#8220; Magazine, Nov. 2022 \u2013 30 Years of Pro Mente Sana \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/promentesana.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazines\/pms-n06-novembre2022-planches-bd.pdf\">https:\/\/promentesana.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazines\/pms-n06-novembre2022-planches-bd.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn22\">\u201cRestraints increasingly used on psychiatric patients in Switzerland,\u201d SWI, 31 Dec. 2022 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/business\/restraints-increasingly-used-on-psychiatric-patients-in-switzerland\/48161720\">https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/business\/restraints-increasingly-used-on-psychiatric-patients-in-switzerland\/48161720<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><div class=\"last-paragraph-no-margin\"><p><strong>Example of Coercive Psychiatric Detention \u2013 \u201cI managed to get out by screaming.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Legal advocates in Switzerland report numerous accounts of individuals being subjected to coercive measures, frequently describing them as violent, unjust, and inconsistent with the law\u2019s stated aims of care and protection. Families often express shock that such practices occur.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Forcibly Drugged:<\/strong> A woman described being in psychotherapy when doctors refused to renew her sedative prescription. When her bag was stolen, she panicked and went onto train tracks seeking help. Authorities intervened, and she was involuntarily committed. During detention, she was forcibly administered high doses of antipsychotics, which left her heavily sedated and confined to bed most of the day. She initially tried to secure release by telling doctors she felt better. When this failed, she began screaming repeatedly throughout the day in protest. \u201cI screamed every day,\u201d she recalled, \u201ceven when the medication left me completely out of it.\u201d According to her account, the doctors eventually seemed annoyed, realized they couldn\u2019t keep her indefinitely, and released her suddenly. She notes that many other patients remain hospitalized because they believe they \u201chave to\u201d stay. She decided to speak out publicly because many others remain in psychiatric institutions, believing they have no option but to comply with coercive treatment.<sup><a href=\"#fn23\">23<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dangers of psychiatric coercion highlighted:<\/strong> Coercive measures can cause severe sedation, loss of agency, and mental distress, and leave patients feeling trapped.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Suicide in Swiss Hospital Under Psychiatric \u201cCare\u201d (2019):<\/strong> In April 2019, Paul Rawlinson, 56, on leave from serving as global chair of the international law firm Baker McKenzie, died by suicide while receiving treatment at The Kusnacht Practice. In June 2020, the Surrey Coroner\u2019s Court in the UK conducted a virtual inquest into the circumstances of his death. Public reporting indicated that The Kusnacht Practice was not found culpable in the matter. However, the fact that Mr. Rawlinson was able to leave for a walk while under TKP\u2019s care, raises questions.<sup><a href=\"#fn24\">24<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dangers of psychiatric coercion highlighted:<\/strong> Even in high-end facilities, psychiatric treatment involving restrictions or drugs may not prevent suicide and raises concerns about adequate supervision.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Doctor Involuntarily Treated for Speaking Out (2020):<\/strong> European physician Dr. Thomas Binder said he was hauled off to a mental hospital by the Swiss police for warning the public about COVID restrictions. Police asserted the doctor had also made \u201cspecific threats against a large number of people in politics and even within his own family\u201d on social media\u2014yet none of the individuals allegedly threatened filed a criminal complaint against Binder, and it was later found not to be true. Officers called for an emergency doctor to evaluate Binder, upon which he was determined to suffer from \u201cCorona Insanity.\u201d He was first imprisoned at Lenzburg Central Prison, where a doctor claimed he was not fit to be detained and had him transferred to the psychiatric facility in K\u00f6nigsfelden. Here, he was involuntarily committed, which he successfully challenged. His attorney said he was never a danger to himself or others, the requisite for committal. The Administrative Court agreed. Dr. Binder was a seasoned physician with 34 years of experience in diagnostics and therapy of respiratory infections who had a private practice in Switzerland for 24 years. \u201cIn February 2020, Dr. Binder advocated for the return of ethics and science in the field of medicine,\u201d reports explain. Binder spent some time in a psychiatric unit before ultimately being released. That release was conditional, though, upon him taking some kind of prescription pharmaceutical cocktail.<sup><a href=\"#fn25\">25<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dangers of psychiatric coercion highlighted:<\/strong> Psychiatric coercion can be politically used against individuals expressing dissenting views, leading to wrongful detention, stigmatization as \u201cinsane,\u201d and forced drugging.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Medications handed out \u201clike Smarties\u201d:<\/strong> On February 11, 2025, an article published in Le Nouvelliste reported: \u201cI was warned: if I didn\u2019t take the medication, they would force-feed it to me. I was given injections for several days in a row. Then they gave me Valium syrup, and it was so strong that I collapsed in the hallway.\u201d<sup><a href=\"#fn26\">26<\/a><\/sup> In the same article, some patients considered that doses of pharmaceuticals were excessive, and are administered with or without their consent. According to one mother, \u201cMy daughter called me in tears, telling me she wasn\u2019t cut out for a place like that, that they were pumping her full of Temesta [lorazepam, a benzodiazepine], that she was scared\u2026.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dangers of psychiatric coercion highlighted:<\/strong> Medication forced under threat, while others feared the consequences of the drugs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"23\">\n<li id=\"fn23\">\u201cI managed to get out by screaming,\u201d ESPRITS Magazine, Nov. 2022 \u2013 30 Years of Pro Mente Sana \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/promentesana.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazines\/pms-n06-novembre2022-planches-bd.pdf\">https:\/\/promentesana.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazines\/pms-n06-novembre2022-planches-bd.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn24\">\u201cUnexpected death of former Baker McKenzie chief was suicide, inquest hears,\u201d Legal Cheek, 11 June 2020 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legalcheek.com\/2020\/06\/unexpected-death-of-former-baker-mckenzie-chief-was-suicide-inquest-hears\/\">https:\/\/www.legalcheek.com\/2020\/06\/unexpected-death-of-former-baker-mckenzie-chief-was-suicide-inquest-hears\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn25\">\u201cCardiologist Dr. Thomas Binder forced into Swiss psychiatric hospital for publicly warning against covid lockdowns,\u201d Natural News, 30 Nov. 2022 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alipac.us\/f19\/cardiologist-dr-thomas-binder-forced-into-swiss-psychiatric-hospital-publicly-wa-402387\/\">https:\/\/www.alipac.us\/f19\/cardiologist-dr-thomas-binder-forced-into-swiss-psychiatric-hospital-publicly-wa-402387\/<\/a>; Fabian H\u00e4gler, \u201cSupporters wanted to free Dr. Binder, a doctor from Wattingen critical of COVID-19 measures, from a psychiatric ward,\u201d 5 July 2021.<\/li>\n<li id=\"fn26\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lenouvelliste.ch\/valais\/chablais-valaisan\/monthey-district\/monthey-commune\/surmedication-insecurite-manque-de-suivi-psy-apres-des-collaborateurs-des-anciens-patients-denoncent-des-dysfonctionnements-a-malevoz-1439822\">https:\/\/www.lenouvelliste.ch\/valais\/chablais-valaisan\/monthey-district\/monthey-commune\/surmedication-insecurite-manque-de-suivi-psy-apres-des-collaborateurs-des-anciens-patients-denoncent-des-dysfonctionnements-a-malevoz-1439822<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><div class=\"last-paragraph-no-margin\"><p><strong>Further Cases of persons speaking out or seeking help from CCHR<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The brother of an autistic resident in a psychiatric clinic reported: \u201cOn my first visit, I found my brother locked up (day and night) without a caregiver, lonely, stuffed with medication, neglected, dirty, in a room without furniture (mattress, chair, table, all made of foam). Since then, I have been visiting my brother regularly. He is always locked up. Again and again. There is only a toilet bowl, no sink to drink clean water from.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMauro\u201d wrote about his involuntary admission: \u201cA year ago, I was admitted by the police to \u2026 (clinic). I was treated like dirt, they locked me up in isolation because I had a loud voice, pumped full of medication.\u201d He further stated that he was pumped full of drugs that made him feel aggressive. After being transferred to another clinic, he was again forced to take psychotropic drugs. The nurses stood around him and forced him to take the drugs, under threat he would be injected with them.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIrene\u201d reported: &#8222;In the course of this therapy, I had to endure enormous coercion, devaluation, discrimination, and psychiatric gagging with consequences. I have long considered this to be transgressive and abusive behavior. An intelligence test while under the influence of medication (I couldn&#8217;t even remember the simplest facts). I was often yelled at and intimidated. During a forced admission, I was given a drug before the court hearing that made me extremely stupid.&#8220;<\/li>\n<li>\u201cHarald\u201d stated: \u201cI was admitted to the clinic. I was unable to provide my own medical history; all background information was provided by my ex-wife. At no point before or during treatment did the clinic contact my long-term psychiatrist or my family doctor. All treatment decisions, including the recommendation for ECT, were made by doctors who did not know me before my admission and had only seen me briefly twice. ECT was first suggested immediately after a conversation about the restrictions on my movement and my express wish to leave the clinic during the first visit by the senior psychiatrist. The only discussion for specific ECT consent took place while I was heavily sedated and passive (as noted in the medical record), without an assessment of my decision-making capacity and without individualized risk disclosure. A first bifrontal ECT was administered, and the movement restrictions were lifted on the same day. When severe side effects occurred, both my family and I asked for the ECT to be stopped, but the senior psychiatrist urged us to continue. Despite the severity of my side effects, no adjustments to treatment or safety measures were made. Although I have completely lost my memory of the admission, consent to ECT, or even the reason for ECT, consent was not renewed, nor was any explanation or justification given for continuing treatment.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cJohann\u201d had physical problems such as insomnia, shortness of breath, and obesity, and sought help at a psychosomatic clinic\u2014he had never taken psychotropic drugs in his life. The treatment he was given was unsuccessful and ended with him being forcibly administered psychiatric drugs. The dose was continuously increased over 3\u20134 weeks. He was supposed to be admitted to a psychiatric ward, but to avoid this he threw himself from a balcony to his death.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFiona\u201d was admitted to a psychiatric ward during a crisis and compulsory treatment was ordered as a one-time measure, which included psychotropic drugs. However, during the involuntary hospitalization, the senior physician ordered not specified measures of indefinite duration, stating the reasons for and objectives of the measures, but not what the measures are and without patient involvement, thus no treatment plan as requested by law. She took her case to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, which ruled in her favor and overturned the measure.<\/li>\n<li>A documentary in Swiss TV reports on Chrigu, 18, who entered voluntarily, but whose admission was converted to involuntary so that he could be restrained by force. He was restrained to his bed for six days and given drugs without his consent. Three coercive measures were applied simultaneously: physical restraint, isolation, and forced medication. The latter may only be used in a psychiatric hospital during an acute crisis when the person is endangering themselves or others. Chrigu stated: \u201cAll that time, I was like in a fog from the medication and couldn\u2019t speak clearly. It was really hard.\u201d The staff only released him from restraints for bathroom breaks. One day after the coercive measures were lifted, he was discharged from the clinic. He concluded: &#8222;You could actually say that I came out more damaged than when I went into the clinic.&#8220;<sup><a href=\"#fn27\">27<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Dangers of psychiatric coercion highlighted:<\/strong> Personal accounts describe profound neglect, forced drugging causing physical or cognitive impairment, memory loss from ECT, lack of informed consent, family exclusion, and outcomes including suicide\u2014illustrating how coercion exacerbates harm rather than provide care.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"27\">\n<li id=\"fn27\">\u201cFixiert und eingesperrt,\u201d SRF, 1 May 2024 \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srf.ch\/news\/schweiz\/missstaende-in-der-psychiatrie-sechs-tage-festgebunden-und-mit-medikamenten-ruhiggestellt\">https:\/\/www.srf.ch\/news\/schweiz\/missstaende-in-der-psychiatrie-sechs-tage-festgebunden-und-mit-medikamenten-ruhiggestellt<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><div class=\"last-paragraph-no-margin\"><p><strong>Dark history \u2013 dark future?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The persistence of widespread psychiatric coercion in Switzerland today is particularly egregious. As a signatory to the CRPD and bound by international human rights law, Switzerland should lead in protecting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities\u2014yet coercive practices remain deeply entrenched.<\/p>\n<p>In July 2020, the Federal Office of Justice launched an evaluation of the provisions on compulsory care (F\u00fcrsorgerische Unterbringung, FU; Art. 426 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code). Its final report, published on 2 August 2022, explicitly acknowledged that current practices often fail to uphold the right to self-determination. The recommendations urge a shift away from paternalism toward full alignment with the principles of the UN CRPD, while stopping short of abolishing involuntary hospitalization itself.<\/p>\n<p>The reality of the cases cited above stands in sharp contrast to the country\u2019s ongoing efforts to confront its past. On 30 October 2025, the national touring exhibition \u201cFOSTERED. LOCKED AWAY. FORGOTTEN?\u201d opened, bringing the history of compulsory social measures and forced placements to all regions of Switzerland. Through powerful personal testimonies of those affected, the exhibition documents how these measures were imposed, their devastating lifelong consequences, and the long, painful process of political reappraisal. It confronts viewers with a critical question: Is it possible to make amends for past injustices\u2014and what must we do to ensure history does not repeat itself?<sup><a href=\"#fn28\">28<\/a><\/sup> <sup><a href=\"#fn29\">29<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Despite these clear recommendations\u2014and despite the global direction set by the W.H.O. and the UN toward reducing and ultimately eliminating coercion in mental health care\u2014Switzerland has moved in the opposite direction. The statistics shown here reflect that coercive measures, including involuntary hospitalizations, remain high and, in some respects, are increasing rather than declining.<\/p>\n<p>Will another similar touring exhibition be needed in 50 years to confront today\u2019s failures?<\/p>\n<p>Switzerland has the opportunity\u2014and the responsibility\u2014to break this cycle. Aligning psychiatric practice fully with the CRPD is not only a legal and moral imperative; it is essential to prevent the repetition of past harms and to uphold the dignity and rights of every person in our society.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"28\">\n<li id=\"fn28\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bj.admin.ch\/bj\/en\/home\/gesellschaft\/fszm\/vermittlung-sensibilisierung\/wanderausstellung.html\">https:\/\/www.bj.admin.ch\/bj\/en\/home\/gesellschaft\/fszm\/vermittlung-sensibilisierung\/wanderausstellung.html<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"fn29\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bj.admin.ch\/bj\/en\/home\/gesellschaft\/fszm.html\">https:\/\/www.bj.admin.ch\/bj\/en\/home\/gesellschaft\/fszm.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Switzerland\u2014Rampant Psychiatric Coercion and Abuse Switzerland ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on April 15, 2014, with it entering into force on May 15, 2014. This legally binds Switzerland to promote, protect, and ensure the full, equal enjoyment of human rights for people with disabilities. Yet, every day in Switzerland individuals diagnosed with a mental health issue are forcibly detained and treated in psychiatric hospitals, with a reported 100 restraint measures per day, including forced drugging, physical and mechanical restraint, and isolation in seclusion rooms. The proportion of individuals admitted to psychiatric hospitals who are prescribed at least one coercive measure increased from 8.1% in 2017 to 10.4% in 2022. It dropped to 8.6% again but is still higher than in 2017. According to the Swiss Health Observatory, 19,314 \u201dCare-related hospitalizations\u201d (CRH)\u2014deprivations of liberty that can be ordered by the courts or doctor for a period of up to six weeks\u2014were ordered in 2024, an increase of 41.3% since 2016 with 13,671 CRHs.1 The proportion of cases in which at least one restraint measure was applied reached 11.5% in 2021, compared with 9.4% in 2019, according to a study by the National Association for...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pressemitteilung"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cchr.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/switzerland_coercion_cover.png?fit=1200%2C740&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76780"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76783,"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76780\/revisions\/76783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cchr.ch\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}