From the person receiving care to the subject of care: the I-you relationship in psychiatry

Abstract

The subjective recognition by those involved in care, of people with psychiatric disorders, is not self-evident. Caregivers, in the general sense of the term, often find it difficult to recognise the personal freedom and dignity of psychiatric patients. Care is, however, inseparable from the relationship oftrustand the mobilisation of the patient's ability to freely express choices and to participate in decisions concerning him; a central ability in the caregiver-patient relationship. Although the objectives of access to care and protection of the patient's rights are clearly stated, the question of the mental patient's freedom of choice, as well as his inner moral freedom, remains open to question, as does the questioning of these same freedoms among care providers.