In the majority of cases, the Psychiatric Patient Complaints Board in Greenland agreed with the doctors’ coercive measures against patients in psychiatry. This is shown in their annual report for 2025.
The Psychiatric Patient Complaint Board in Greenland in 2025 received 14 complaints about various coercive measures.
A decision was made in 12 of the cases, as the last two were withdrawn. The board approved 75 percent of the forced interventions complained of.
This appears from the Psychiatric Patient Complaints Board’s annual report 2025.
In total, complaints about 16 coercive measures were processed. They ranged over interventions such as forced detention, forced treatment, forced fixation and more.
In 12 decisions, the Psychiatric Patient Complaints Board approved the complained of coercive intervention.
One case before the Court in Greenland
In four of the 12 complaints, the case had a suspensive effect. This means that the coercive intervention was put on hold while the complaint was processed.
It has taken the Psychiatric Patient Complaint Board 7.58 days on average to process the complaints. It includes weekends and public holidays.
In four cases, the Psychiatric Patient Complaints Board has asked for more care in connection with record keeping and filling in forced protocols in connection with hospitalization.
In one case, the board has criticized that the referring physician’s letter was deficient, and they have pointed out that in several cases it takes too long from the time the patient complains to the complaint being forwarded to the Psychiatric Patient Complaints Board.
In 2025, a complaint was lodged against one of the decisions from the Psychiatric Patient Complaints Board. However, the complaint was withdrawn before the case came before the Court in Greenland.
