Abstract
In Vastmanland County, Sweden, 105 patients were acute admitted and involuntarily treated during a six-month period. In spite of a low mean age (39.2 years), abuse of alcohol or other drugs was common (29%). Thirty-nine percent of the patients showed violent behavior prior to the actual admission and 36% of the patients had shown such behavior prior to earlier admissions. Of the patients below 40 years, 32% had a disability pension.