• Perisa Simonović, Milutin Nenadović, and Dragana Momcilović.
• Institute of Mental Health, Belgrade, Serbia. perisa.simonovic@zdravlje.gov.rs
• Srp Ark Celok Lek. 2011 Dec 1; 139 Suppl 1: 212521-5.

AbstractThe nature of some mental illness is such that persons affected by their conduct endangering life, health and safety, as well as life, health and safety of others from their surroundings. These persons, because of their mental condition, are often unable to properly assess their own interest. Because of the above it is permitted for these persons, under certain circumstances, to be forcibly hospitalized against their will. However, the problem of involuntary hospitalization of persons with mental disorders remains a controversial and complex ethical and legal problem, because it is characterized by a conflict of opposing interests and moral values. The main reason is the fact that involuntary hospitalization is an act of deprivation of liberty and intervention into the personal integrity, which at that the measure is taken against the individual who has not committed any crime. In order to provide restricted approach to the application of compulsory hospitalization, it is necessary to pass a legislation on the protection of persons with mental disorders that would more closely define the undertaken proceedings, reasons and conditions for involuntary detention and involuntary hospitalization in a psychiatric institution, forced detention of voluntarily hospitalized persons and penal policy violation of this law. It is necessary to initiate the procedure for amending the Law on Contested Procedure, which would reform the procedure for compulsory hospitalization, as an important segment of mentally disordered persons' rights, in order to be in accordance with international and European standards within this field.

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