New postdoctoral study on self-admission in psychiatry

How is the balance struck between patients’ right to self-determination and healthcare’s responsibility to protect from harm? This is a central question in a new research project by ethnologist Maria Björklund, newly appointed postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Social Work.

Since 2019, the self-admission (SA) care model has been widely implemented within Region Stockholm according to the generic model, aiming to increase patients’ participation and responsibility in their psychiatric care. In her project, Maria Björklund explores how the tension between autonomy and restrictions on autonomy is experienced, managed, and negotiated within the framework of SA in inpatient psychiatric care. The study initially draws on interviews with patients who have been granted SA and with nurses working within this model.

The project also highlights how factors such as gender, diagnosis, and educational background affect patients’ possibilities for self-determination. By contributing in-depth, experience-based knowledge about a still relatively unexplored form of care—from social science and humanities perspectives—the research provides important insights. These may help to develop quality, influence, and participation within inpatient psychiatric care.