Objective: Comparing experts' and lay opinions towards restrictions on mentally ill people.
Method: We conducted a representative telephone survey with psychiatrists (N = 87) and lay persons (N = 90).
Results: Compulsory admission towards people with mental illness is the most accepted restriction (experts 98.9 %/lay persons 72.2 %) followed by the withdrawal of the driver license (6.7 %/54.1 %), abortion suggested for mentally ill women in case of pregnancy (5.6 %/19.4 %), and the withdrawal of the right to vote (1.1 %/17.4 %).
Conclusions: If assessing and carrying out restrictive measures towards people with mental illness, experts have to consider the discrepancy between their and the lay persons' opinions. Furthermore, professionals have to take an active role in the public discussion about sanctions that are not laid down in law by the law, e. g. abortion in case of pregnancy of a mentally ill woman, and that are not medically required. Thus, they contribute to the fight against the stigma that mentally ill people are faced with.