Soares Ruben, Pinto da Costa Mariana
Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Hospital de Magalhães Lemos, Porto, Portugal.
Front Psychiatry. 2019 Apr 18;10:187. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00187. eCollection 2019.
In Portuguese law, police officers are the link between security and the treatment of people with serious mental disorders who require compulsory admission. The perceptions of police officers are in part based on their individual characteristics, and may influence their capability in managing patients they are transporting. However, little is known about police officers experience of this process. In-depth semi-structured interviews explored the experiences and per- ceptions of police officers from Porto Police Department in Portugal. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis. Ten police officers agreed to take part in this study. The interviewed police officers consisted of nine men and one woman, had an average length service of 22.6 years and all had more than 10 years of service. The interviews highlighted that the activity of the police under the Mental Health Law is shaped by whether the person who they are transporting has a mental health disorder and requires psychiatric admission. The police officers reportedly adjusted their behavior to give patients more attention, comfort and empathy. However, they describe these interactions as one of the most time consuming and challenging activities for the police. Importantly, they acknowledged family members as crucial for police officers to be able to gain direct access to patients and knowledge about them. Police officers showed to perceive people with mental illness as unpredictable, dangerous and without discernment, and identified some aspects of the process that could be improved, such as hospital admission waiting times. Police officers felt they required more skilled support to deal with unwell patients. This study highlights the perceptions and experiences of police officers about the process of compulsory admission, and identifies areas of unmet needs. These findings help to raise awareness of their needs, improving this process, and ensuring a more humane and effective approach.
在葡萄牙法律中，警察是安全保障与需要强制收治的严重精神障碍患者治疗之间的纽带。警察的认知部分基于他们的个人特征，可能会影响他们管理所运送患者的能力。然而，对于警察在这个过程中的经历却知之甚少。深入的半结构化访谈探究了葡萄牙波尔图警察局警察的经历和认知。所有访谈都进行了录音、转录，并通过主题分析进行了分析。十名警察同意参与这项研究。接受访谈的警察包括九名男性和一名女性，平均服役年限为22.6年，且所有人的服役年限都超过了10年。访谈突出表明，警察依据《精神卫生法》开展的活动取决于他们所运送的人是否患有精神疾病且需要入院接受精神科治疗。据报道，警察会调整自己的行为，给予患者更多关注、安慰和同理心。然而，他们将这些互动描述为警察最耗时且最具挑战性的活动之一。重要的是，他们承认家庭成员对于警察能够直接接触患者并了解患者情况至关重要。警察表现出认为精神病患者不可预测、危险且缺乏辨别力，并指出了该过程中一些可以改进的方面，比如医院入院等待时间。警察觉得他们需要更专业的支持来应对身体不适的患者。这项研究突出了警察对强制收治过程的认知和经历，并确定了未满足需求的领域。这些发现有助于提高对他们需求的认识，改进这一过程，并确保采取更人道、更有效的方法。
