The present Report covers the fi ndings of the scheduled monitoring of Psychiatric establishments in Georgia carried out by the Special Preventive Group of the Offi ce of the Public Defender of Georgia exercising its mandate within National Preventive Mechanism on April 18-28, 2012.

One of the main priorities of the monitoring was to evaluate treatment of patients It shall be noted that practice of ill-treatment by personnel is almost eliminated in the psychiatric establishments, however in several instances the patients still indicated they were subjected to rude treatment by this or that nurse (or nurse’s assistant (orderly).

Patients, as a rule, were satisfi ed with living conditions in the newly opened establishments. The main concern for them was “to go home” as they were not allowed to.

The physical restraint is used in absolute majority of the facilities. The aim of the Monitoring Group was to check whether this procedure was resorted to in compliance with relevant laws and standards. In rare cases the restraint was allegedly used to punish the patients. In certain cases fi xation record book indicating information on time and duration of fixation, as well name of person responsible for fi xation, was not processed. As found out by the Monitoring Group, some facts were not registered in the record book even if the latter was processed in the establishment.

The liquidation of psychiatric establishment located on hospital Asatiani Street, Tbilisi is one of the major positive changes in psychiatric treatment fi eld; this establishment was substituted by several psychiatric establishments - Rustavi Mental Health Centre, M. Asatiani psychiatry Institute, psychiatric Division of Referral Hospital, Psychiatric Department of Academician O. Gudushauri National Medical Centre and Psychiatric Division of Hospital №5.

Report on Conditions in Psychiatric Establishments in Georgia