Informal coercion (original) (raw)

In the context of a doctor–patient relationship, Informal coercion is a social process where a healthcare profession tries to make a patient adhere to the healthcare systems desired treatment without making use of formal coercion such as involuntary commitment combined with involuntary treatment. An example of involuntary treatment in mental health care is intramuscular injection with the antipsychotic haloperidol. Informal coercion is often applied by health professionals as part of mental health treatment but is also used by friends and family of a service user.