The dilemma between voluntary and compulsory hospitalization is discussed in the light of the Dutch Bill for involuntary admissions to psychiatric hospitals (BOPZ). By means of questionnaires we studied the process of admission in a psychiatric hospital from the moment when hospitalization was thought necessary, in the daily practice of the mobile psychiatric emergency service. There seems to be a distinct group of patients with a serious psychiatric illness, whose willingness to be hospitalized seems insufficient and the danger, forthcoming from the illness, seems to be too small for a compulsory admission. Often by actively following the course of the situation the danger caused by these patients is evaluated. In many cases a cumulation of dangerous situations appeared.

Our findings show that the argument of compulsatory admission being `the lastresort' i.e. `ultimum remedium' was mainly influenced by the psychiatric history and the remaining supportsystem.