The head of the Serbsky Center explained the new rules of restrictions in mental hospitals

General Director of the National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology named after. V.P. Serbsky Ministry of Health of Russia Svetlana Shport commented on the draft new rules for limiting the rights of patients in psychiatric institutions. In her opinion, new restrictions are needed by the patients themselves.

The Ministry of Health developed draft rules in January. It sets the limits of possible restrictions that are provided for under the law, which came into force in 2023. In particular, the document states that the rights of patients cannot be limited only on the basis of a diagnosis and the fact that a person is under dispensary observation or in a hospital. The decision to restrict rights must be entered into the medical record.

“The temporary restriction of the rights of persons receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital is carried out primarily in the interests of the patients themselves, their health and the preservation of their social well-being,” Ms. Shport told RIA Novosti. According to her, psychiatrists consider it important to maintain social ties with relatives and close circle.

Restrictions on the use of communication means can only be imposed temporarily, taking into account the safety of the patient and his environment. Only certain rights can be limited to the patient. For example, temporarily prohibit correspondence, talk on the phone and meet with a certain circle of people.

The head of the drug treatment and psychiatric clinic, psychiatrist Ruslan Isaev, previously told Kommersant that he considers the draft rules an important step towards “creating an adequate legislative framework taking into account respect for the rights of patients.” At the same time, lawyers interviewed by Kommersant call the document very vague and fear that it will not be able to prevent abuses.

Read more about the new rules in the Kommersant article. “Patients out of network coverage”.

Leonid Uvarchev