Ćorić: The Psychiatric Hospital in Dobrota is also facing inadequate conditions for accommodating forensic patients

The assistant director of the Special Hospital for Psychiatry in Dobrota, psychiatrist Boris Ćorić, said on Boje jutra on Vijesti Television that the institution is facing serious overcrowding, a lack of staff and inadequate conditions for accommodating forensic patients, stating that the ward designed for 21 beds is currently accommodating as many as 141 patients.

Ćorić explained that forensic patients are people with psychiatric problems who, after a psychiatric evaluation, are referred by the court for treatment to the Special Hospital in Dobrota.

"We cannot refuse a court order. When the court makes a decision on the placement of a patient, it is our obligation to admit him, regardless of capacity," said Ćorić.

He recalled that the forensic psychiatry department in Dobrota was not originally planned as a separate forensic institution, but was established after the restoration of Montenegro's independence, with a capacity of 21 beds. As he stated, changes in the legal framework and the increase in the number of patients have led to serious overcrowding of the system.

Due to lack of space, forensic patients are placed in other wards of the hospital, along with other patients. Ćorić claims that this is not a case of mixing different types of diseases, but he admits that overcrowding increases the risk of tension and more aggressive behavior.

"We can't sugarcoat things. The conditions are not satisfactory and are far from what they should be," he said.

Of particular concern is the fact that, according to him, minors with court orders are sometimes placed among adult patients, even though the law clearly stipulates that children may not be housed in adult institutions.

"We believe it is necessary to form a special closed-type ward for children and adolescents. But in situations where there is a risk of suicide or self-harm, we react immediately because the priority is to save lives," said Ćorić.

Speaking about the state of the psychiatric system in Montenegro, he pointed out that there are currently only about 60 psychiatrists working in the country, which is significantly below the European average.

"In Montenegro, we have about ten psychiatrists per 100 inhabitants, while in Serbia there are 22, and in Croatia 33," said Ćorić, adding that there is also a problem with the lack of paramedical staff and security.

He also reminded that the construction of a forensic hospital within the Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS) is nearing completion, but he raised the issue of the staff who should work in that institution.

"Good questions are who will work there, because Montenegro generally lacks staff, and in psychiatry this problem is even more pronounced," said Ćorić.

He assessed that the problems are systemic and that one institution cannot solve them alone, but he expressed the expectation that the new forensic hospital could significantly relieve the existing system if it is adequately organized and staffed.

As a reminder, key warnings about the state of the Montenegrin psychiatric system are also listed in the report of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture for 2025, which points to a lack of staff, overcrowding, long-term hospitalizations, inadequate treatment conditions, and the risk of inhuman and degrading treatment of patients.