Coercive Therapy in East and West: A Brief Review

Abstract

Abstract: The physician-patient relationship has been undergoing significant changes in recent decades in Western countries. Taking a client-centered approach, society has given more autonomy and freedom to patients. The patient is regarded as a consumer who is looking for the best and most scientific approach and is free to choose among different methods of treatment. The role of the physician is only a guiding role. On the other hand, in Eastern countries, we still experience a parent-child relationship in the therapeutic setting. Eastern patients expect direct advice from their physicians and the family has an important role in decision-making. An approach which is considered coercive in Western countries could still be a useful and acceptable one in Eastern culture. The main goal of the authors in this paper is comparison of different attitudes toward this issue in Eastern and Western cultures.