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Report highlights poor treatment as main criticism of Swedish psychiatry

Key Points
  • A new report indicates poor treatment is the primary criticism of Swedish psychiatry.
  • Emma Gustafsson from Uppsala reported deficient care and insensitive comments from a doctor.
  • Akademiska sjukhuset encourages patients to report poor treatment for investigation.

A new report shows that poor treatment is the main criticism of psychiatry in Sweden. Over half of more than 1,200 testimonies across Sweden in the report from Psynlighet dealt with poor treatment. Emma Gustafsson, a 28-year-old from Uppsala, experienced this after seeking care for depression, anxiety, and hopelessness at adult psychiatry in Uppsala.

She was involuntarily hospitalized for several months but described the care as very deficient, feeling it was more like storage with medication and lacking psychological or talk contact for long periods. She recalled a specific incident where a doctor told her after a suicide attempt that if she really wanted to die, she wouldn't be there. Akademiska sjukhuset declined to comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, encouraging patients to report poor treatment for investigation.

if she really wanted to die, she wouldn't be there

Emma Gustafsson, 28-year-old from Uppsala who experienced poor psychiatric care

Emma Gustafsson now feels better. Contact information for support organizations is provided, including Mind Självmordslinjen, Bris, Jourhavande medmänniska, Jourhavande präst, Vårdguiden, and Spes.

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