[Ethical principles and moral norms of psychiatric care in a socialistic society].

Ethical postulates, which are intended to serve as orientation points for personal conduct, must be formulated clearly as demands, be related to the system of values on which they are based, and point out clearly the consequences of their being ignored and must therefore be connected with moral bans. The authors have tried to formulate such postulates for the most important ethical problems facing psychiatry in the GDR. These moral guidelines, which naturally infer moral bans, offer fuel for discussion as one step towards the establishment of a comprehensive code of ethics for psychiatrists.