Dirk Richter trained as a psychiatric nurse and studied sociology, psychology and philosophy at the University of Muenster, Germany. He holds a Dr. phil.-doctorate in sociology and a PhD (habilitation). He has many years of experience in clinical practice, research and the management of psychiatric services. The author is currently professor and head of a research group on psychiatric nursing and care at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland. Dirk Richter is also senior researcher at Bern University’s psychiatric services and visiting professor at the School of Nursing and Public Health, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK. His research focuses on mental health nursing, violence and coercion in healthcare, psychiatric rehabilitation, psychiatric epidemiology and psychiatric epistemology.Dirk Richter has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and 10 books as co-editor, sole author and co-author.

• Acknowledgements.- Chapter 1. Human rights and coercion in mental health care - concepts, data and terminology .- chapter 2. Human rights and psychiatric coercion - The legitimisation problem for (social) psychiatry .- Chapter 3. The legitimisation of psychiatric measures against a person's will .- Chapter 4. Psychiatric coercion - ethical conditions and empirical data.- Chapter 5. Mental disorder – what is it and how valid is the definition?.- Chapter 6. Psychosocial problems - The spectrum model.- Chapter 7. Human rights-based psychosocial support .- Chapter 8. Psychosocial support without coercion - consequences, dilemmas and possible ways out.- Chapter 9. Epilogue: On the way to a post-liberal psychiatry?.

Dirk Richter trained as a psychiatric nurse and studied sociology, psychology and philosophy at the University of Muenster, Germany. He holds a Dr. phil.-doctorate in sociology and a PhD (habilitation). He has many years of experience in clinical practice, research and the management of psychiatric services. The author is currently professor and head of a research group on psychiatric nursing and care at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland. Dirk Richter is also senior researcher at Bern University’s psychiatric services and visiting professor at the School of Nursing and Public Health, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK. His research focuses on mental health nursing, violence and coercion in healthcare, psychiatric rehabilitation, psychiatric epidemiology and psychiatric epistemology.Dirk Richter has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and 10 books as co-editor, sole author and co-author.

• Acknowledgements.- Chapter 1. Human rights and coercion in mental health care - concepts, data and terminology .- chapter 2. Human rights and psychiatric coercion - The legitimisation problem for (social) psychiatry .- Chapter 3. The legitimisation of psychiatric measures against a person's will .- Chapter 4. Psychiatric coercion - ethical conditions and empirical data.- Chapter 5. Mental disorder – what is it and how valid is the definition?.- Chapter 6. Psychosocial problems - The spectrum model.- Chapter 7. Human rights-based psychosocial support .- Chapter 8. Psychosocial support without coercion - consequences, dilemmas and possible ways out.- Chapter 9. Epilogue: On the way to a post-liberal psychiatry?.