# Request for Materials on Family Violence & Coercion in Mental Health (European Context)

**URL:** <https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/request-for-materials-on-family-violence-coercion-in-mental-health-european-context/2262>\
**Category:** Mad Studies Academy\
**Created:** [February 27, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/request-for-materials-on-family-violence-coercion-in-mental-health-european-context/2262 "2025-02-27T04:16:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EnricGTorrents](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/onscienceandacademia.org/enricgtorrents/32/774_2.png) [@EnricGTorrents](https://onscienceandacademia.org/u/EnricGTorrents)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://onscienceandacademia.org/t/request-for-materials-on-family-violence-coercion-in-mental-health-european-context/2262/1 "2025-02-27T04:16:45Z")

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Dear colleagues,

I hope this email finds you well. I am currently in Indonesia conducting research on _pasung_ and efforts to abolish the practice, focusing on its intersections with family violence and coercion in mental health. _Pasung_ refers to the practice of physically restraining individuals with mental health conditions, often through shackling, chaining, or confinement in small spaces. Historically rooted in cultural and economic factors, _pasung_ persists due to the **lack of accessible and non-coercive mental health care** , stigma surrounding mental illness, and the **family’s role as the primary caregiver in settings where state support is inadequate**. Despite national policies aimed at eradicating the practice, it remains widespread in Indonesia and other countries with similar socio-political contexts, where families—left with no viable alternatives—resort to extreme measures to manage distressing behaviors.

As part of my ongoing work, I am writing a **comparative European - Indonesian historical and policy analysis** aimed at understanding and ultimately helping to end these forms of abuse while improving practices. To strengthen this research, I kindly ask for your recommendations on **authors and materials addressing similar issues in the European context** , particularly on the following:

1. **Family’s role in executing forced interventions normalized by mental health systems**

- How families are placed in the position of enforcing coercive measures, such as forced drugging and seclusion (whether perceived as needed temporarily or maintained permanently).
- How family members are pressured or guided to facilitate further coercive interventions by mental health professionals or institutions.

1. **The failure of current mental health systems to uncover prior and ongoing family abuses**

- How mental health institutions overlook histories of domestic violence and abuse when assessing individuals.
- How these systems inadvertently promote further harm by trapping victims in a cycle of systemic and family-led coercion.

Any **literature, studies, or policy analyses** that explore these dimensions—whether historical, sociological, legal, or psychiatric—would be greatly appreciated. I hope to build a nuanced comparative framework that highlights systemic patterns across different contexts, ultimately advocating for change. I am also happy to co-author and collaborate with anyone interested.

Thank you in advance for any insights or references you can share. I look forward to hearing your insights.

Best regards,

**Henning (né Enric) Garcia Torrents**

University professor in training, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Spain Medical Anthropology Research Center, Universitat Rovira i Virgili

**Laboratory and field open science notebook:** [https://research.enricgarcia.md](https://research.enricgarcia.md) **Main project links:** [Gestión colaborativa de la medicación en casos de salud mental - Proyecto de investigación-acción](https://www.henning.md/thesis) and [https://better.health.int.eu.org/](https://better.health.int.eu.org/) **Last publication:** Torrents, E.G., Björkdahl, A. (2024). Alternatives to Coercion. In: Hallett, N., Whittington, R., Richter, D., Eneje, E. (eds) Coercion and Violence in Mental Health Settings. Springer-Nature, Cham. [Alternatives to Coercion | SpringerLink](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61224-4_17)

[![Alternatives to Coercion Cover](https://static-content.springer.com/cover/book/978-3-031-61224-4.jpg) **Alternatives to Coercion** In this chapter, the authors critically examine the historical and contemporary use of restraint in mental health care and advocate for more humane, patient-centred alternatives. The authors consider the detrimental effects of coercive practices on patients…

]([Alternatives to Coercion | SpringerLink](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-61224-4_17))