Criticism Mounts Over Swedish Psychiatric Care Amid Service Cuts and Persistent Coercion

The Swedish psychiatric care system is currently facing severe criticism due to significant cutbacks in young adult inpatient services and the ongoing widespread use of coercion in child and adolescent psychiatric care, despite legislative reforms aimed at reducing it.

In 2025, the psychiatric care of Stockholm's young adults was largely reorganized when Wemind and Prima took over services, drastically reducing staff and resources. At the Kista clinic, staff were informed during lunch that roughly half of the personnel would be dismissed and that many long-term patients, primarily vulnerable young adults, were to be discharged. From September to April, 400 out of 1,800 patients were discharged, prompting concerns over safety and continuity of care. Therapist Christine Hall, formerly at the now-closed young adult clinic, criticized the abrupt changes, calling it "a warning sign of poor management" and warning that young adults at risk may be abandoned to potentially tragic outcomes. Wemind's CEO Urban Bargo Pettersson acknowledged the challenges of competing in tenders and emphasized a shift toward newer psychiatric methods including cognitive behavioral therapy and remote care.

Parallelly, research by doctoral candidate Astrid Moell at the Karolinska Institutet exposes that coercion remains prevalent in psychiatric inpatient care for children and adolescents. Contrary to expectations set by a 2020 law designed to enhance youth rights and reduce coercive practices, the use of coercion has not decreased. Disturbingly, forced medication saw an immediate increase post-reform. Moell points out that coercion extends beyond formal measures to include informal pressures influenced by ward culture, staffing, and patient demographics, with younger children, males, and ethnic minorities more often subjected to such interventions.

These developments paint a troubling picture of Swedish psychiatric care struggling with balancing cost-efficiency and patient welfare, and highlight the need for systemic reforms that ensure both humane treatment and sufficient resources.

Moell's dissertation on coercion and psychiatric care is set for defense on June 5, 2026.