Addressing oppression in psychiatric care: a relational ethics perspective.

Abstract

In this article we consider oppression in psychiatric care from a relational ethics perspective. We identify the vulnerability of psychiatric patients and the concomitant difficulties that confront medical health practitioners. We suggest that healthcare practitioners can become desensitized to systemic problems in the routine provision of care, that attention to protocols and procedural guidelines is not sufficient to reduce oppression in care, and that the discussion necessary to do so may not be generally supported within clinical environments. We conclude by proposing that the concept of fittingness may allow practitioners to recognize and resolve oppressive aspects of care in a better way and that a culture of questioning needs to be fostered within psychiatry care settings.