Complaints in mental health services in Israel: A one year-study

Despite the growing awareness of mental patients of their rights, the number of complaints is still under-represented for different reasons including the patients' fear that they will be 'punished' because of their complaints or their lack of knowledge concerning the correct procedure and the appropriate address for issuing their complaint. This article presents the summary of one year's work (year 2001), on the complaints and letters we received at the Forensic Psychiatry Unit, Mental Health Services, Ministry of Health, from the general public, mental health patients, their families or Advocacy Agencies concerning mental patients' rights. We analyzed the complaints according to the topic, the process and the results of our interventions. The data collected on the complaints show that most of the complainants were the patients themselves, especially males and adults. Most of the complaints dealt with the patients' dissatisfaction with the type of treatment received, in that it did not match their expectations. Fifty percent of the complaints involved treatment received at psychiatric hospitals and 34% of the complaints were related to out-patient treatment. Sixty-five percent of complainants wrote a single complaint during the year 2001. Our intervention and reply to the complainants was completed within a month in 66% of the cases. We conclude suggesting different ways to improve this important service.