Psychiatria pre prax 4/2025
Human rights as a tool for protecting both patients and healthcare professionals (the development of human rights standards and their significance for psychiatric practice)
The article explores the historical and ethical development of the European human rights system and its relevance to psychiatric practice. The author compares Europe’s post-war recovery to a therapeutic process through which societies learn responsibility, empathy, and respect for human dignity, guided by institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights („ECtHR“). The article illustrates how ECtHR jurisprudence continually adapts to new social realities and provides practical standards for psychiatry, particularly in cases involving involuntary hospitalization, use of restraints, and privacy protection. Knowledge of these legal standards, the author argues, protects both patients and healthcare professionals, empowering staff to recognize and address systemic shortcomings and to promote change from within. Ultimately, the text concludes that safeguarding human dignity is an ongoing process — both in the evolution of Europe and in the daily work of mental health care.
Keywords: European Court of Human Rights, human rights, case-law, protection of the rights, psychiatry
