There are considerable differences in the use of forced admissions both between counties and between hospitals. This trend is difficult to explain fully, and various explanations have been proposed, including different treatment cultures and different attitudes to the use of compulsory admission among referring physicians, in hospitals and in DPCs, differences in competence, co-operation procedures and personnel resources, differences at a municipal level, and unequal access to hospitals and mental health specialists between geographical areas, and differences in rates of mental ill health across the country. Reduction in involuntary admissions is a priority, but greater co-ordination across regions is likely needed to better understand the root causes of these disparities. A national network for research, led by the south-eastern region, is looking to register involuntary treatment and use of seclusion and restrain nationally, which could be fruitful.