A watchdog warns that shortages are turning emergency treatment into prolonged confinement.
PARIS, FRANCE
Severe failures in psychiatric emergency care across the Île-de-France region are exposing patients to degrading conditions and possible violations of their fundamental rights. France’s independent watchdog for places of detention reported that some people were forced to lie on floors, remain immobilised on stretchers for days or endure treatment without adequate privacy.
Inspectors visited several major hospitals, including Cochin, Necker, Robert-Debré, Pitié-Salpêtrière and Sainte-Anne in Paris, as well as facilities in Saint-Denis and Créteil. They attributed the crisis to shortages of psychiatric beds, trained personnel, infrastructure and appropriate services for people experiencing acute mental-health emergencies.
During the first half of 2026, 3,957 psychiatric patients experienced prolonged waits in emergency departments across Île-de-France, representing a 31.8% increase from the previous year. Average waiting times exceeded 39 hours during the second quarter, compared with 29 hours at the beginning of 2025. In the most serious cases, patients remained in emergency units for approximately ten days while waiting for a suitable bed.
The watchdog also documented patients being held without consent or subjected to isolation and physical restraint outside the proper legal framework. These practices can intensify psychological distress while creating uncertainty over clinical responsibility and judicial safeguards. Extended delays may also cause patients to abandon treatment or interrupt the continuity of their care.
Children and adolescents face additional risks because of insufficient child psychiatrists and specialised beds. Some minors are consequently admitted to units treating adults, despite their different developmental and safeguarding needs. The watchdog has called for a specific legal status for young psychiatric patients, improved professional training and an urgent plan to rebuild child and adolescent mental-health services.
A health system reveals its humanity in how it protects people at their most vulnerable.