Abuse of people with mental illnesses perpetrated by healthcare professionals: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES: This scoping review addresses the underexplored issue of abuse of people with mental illnesses by healthcare professionals. We mapped the existing literature to establish the nature, prevalence, contributing factors and experiences of this abuse. DESIGN: Scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute framework. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Ichushi-Web during the period from 3 July to 22 August 2024. Eligible studies reported abuse of people with mental illnesses by healthcare professionals, with no restrictions on year or language. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently extracted data from the selected articles. The data were synthesised to examine prevalence, associated factors and experiences of people with mental illnesses. FINDINGS: Of 5793 records, 61 met the inclusion criteria, with 32 from the USA and Japan (16 from each). Abuse types reported across 17 countries included physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuse, neglect and human rights violations. Histories of physical and sexual abuse were frequently reported as possible contributing factors to further abuse. Recommendations for prevention were identified at multiple levels, including individual care, organisational and institutional systems, and broader policy and society. CONCLUSIONS: This review mapped the literature on abuse by healthcare professionals in mental health services and identified critical research gaps, including a lack of methodologically robust studies. Further research is needed to build an evidence base for prevention strategies and to establish institutional safeguards.