Capital Region to establish new psychiatric unit after toddler’s fatal fall from high-rise

The Capital Region of Denmark will create a specialised unit for patients transitioning out of forensic psychiatric care, following the death of a two-year-old boy who was thrown from a seventh-floor window in December, DR reports.

The 32-year-old man accused of killing his half-brother had been released from a forensic psychiatric commitment just months earlier, despite a history of violent crime. In 2014, he was convicted of killing his mother in the same apartment complex and was placed under indefinite psychiatric detention due to paranoid schizophrenia. His sentence was lifted in December 2024 after his condition was deemed “stabilised,” removing the legal requirement for continued treatment.

Peter Westermann (SF), chair of the region’s psychiatry committee, acknowledged a critical gap in the system when patients leave forensic care. “The transition to general psychiatry is too abrupt,” he said. “We need to ensure these individuals receive closer follow-up to prevent relapses and maintain treatment motivation.”

The proposed unit would act as an intermediary step, with specialists monitoring patients after their forensic commitments end. Westermann also suggested exploring “conditional transitions” to guarantee continued care, though he stopped short of endorsing expanded use of forced medication. “We must examine this area without preconceptions,” he said.

Advocacy group Bedre Psykiatri welcomed the focus on improved transitions but rejected increased coercion. “More forced treatment is not the solution,” said secretary-general Jane Alrø Sørensen. “Better forensic psychiatric care and post-release support are what’s needed.” She criticised the region for not fully addressing its responsibility, demanding an investigation into whether the perpetrator received adequate treatment. “We need answers on whether this tragedy could have been prevented,” she said.

The case will be discussed at a regional psychiatry committee meeting on Monday.