Health Guide and Sectarian Deviations

1️⃣ SUMMARY

The guide starts from an observation: reports sent to the Miviludes are increasing and health is now the primary area concerned (p. 9). The Miviludes indicates 4,571 reports for the sole year 2024 (p. 18); according to its 2022-2024 report, the health and well-being sector represents 37% of requests (p. 50). The document is aimed at health professionals, including medical auxiliaries (p. 50), and more broadly at any reader (p. 10, 12). It includes four parts: general concepts (definition, mechanisms of influence, most common methods, public system, legal framework), seven sheets per health profession, eight sheets on "risk situations", six sheets of practical advice, and then six appendices (p. 3-8).

2️⃣ WHAT TO REMEMBER

1️⃣ An operational definition, based on a set of criteria (observation). The law does not define sectarian drift (p. 16). The guide retains three elements: pressures or techniques altering judgment, state of subjugation, harmful results (p. 155). One criterion is not enough; mental destabilisation is always present (p. 17). Not every therapeutic drift is necessarily sectarian (p. 19).

2️⃣ A penal framework strengthened by the law of 10 May 2024 (in force). The guide presents two offences created by this law. The first is the placement or maintenance in a state of psychological or physical subjugation (art. 223-15-3 of the Penal Code). The second is the provocation of a sick person, through repeated pressures or manoeuvres, to abandon or refrain from following a treatment. This abandonment is presented to them as beneficial for their health, even though it clearly risks having particularly serious consequences. This offence is punishable by one year of imprisonment and a fine of €30,000 (art. 223-1-2) (p. 12, 45-46). For the sectarian offences targeting a minor, the limitation period is extended to ten years from the age of majority (p. 46).

3️⃣ Sheets by profession, available in the guide (existing). The seven professional sheets essentially cover the same situations: patient who is a member of a movement or approached, suspicion about a colleague, canvassing, dubious training or congress, behaviour of a professional. Each indicates who to alert: Order, ‘sectarian drift’ referent of the ARS, Miviludes, and depending on the case ANSM or DREETS (p. 51-100).

3️⃣ TO ACT

1️⃣ Identify using the list from sheet 4-2. Existing tool cited by the document. The sheet ‘How to recognise a pseudo-therapist?’ lists the most commonly observed statements: denigration of conventional medicine, encouragement to stop treatments, promise of miraculous healing, encouragement to cut off from one’s loved ones… Health professionals are invited to use it to question their patient in case of doubt (p. 153-154).

2️⃣ Report through the appropriate channel for their place of practice. Action explicitly requested by the document : in the face of an unproven method that risks leading to a sectarian drift, "it is imperative to make a report" (p. 155). In a healthcare establishment: head of department or service manager; in the medico-social sector: line manager; in private practice: Order, ARS referent or Miviludes, in compliance with professional secrecy (p. 155-156). The guide requires discernment and neutrality in advance (p. 155).

3️⃣ Incorporate prevention into the medico-social establishment project. Action explicitly requested by the document : to adopt "an institutional prevention approach": vigilance included in the establishment project (notably against financial abuse) with protocols of conduct to follow, staff awareness, attention to continuous training, social life council as a place of exchange, enhanced control of volunteers (p. 120).

4️⃣ 3 PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

1️⃣ Does any unconventional practice fall under a sectarian drift ? No. A therapeutic drift is not necessarily sectarian (p. 19). Hypnosis or acupuncture implemented and supervised by a medical staff "obviously do not pose difficulties in terms of sectarian drifts" (p. 104). Before reporting, one should not "attribute everything to the sectarian drift" (p. 155).

2️⃣ Can one report without the person's consent ? In principle, the victim's consent is necessary to lift the professional secrecy. Article 226-14 of the Penal Code allows for exemptions in certain cases, particularly when dealing with a minor or a person who is unable to protect themselves due to their age or physical or mental incapacity (p. 51-52). The pharmacist's form specifies that, in the absence of possible consent in cases of subjugation, the victim must be informed of the report (p. 76-77).

3️⃣ To whom should a victim be directed ? To the Miviludes, where they can make a report; to victim support associations (UNADFI, CCMM, CAFFES, GEMPPI, AFSI, CLPS). They can file a complaint with the public prosecutor, the gendarmerie or the police, and make a report to the ‘sectarian drift’ referent of the ARS and to the relevant Order (p. 158-159).

5️⃣ TO GO FURTHER

📝 Blog Health Practices : « Activity report 2022-2024 of the Miviludes: reports on the rise ». Article indexed by search engines; automated access blocked, link to be checked manually before dissemination. According to its title, it concerns the activity report 2022-2024 of the Miviludes, which the guide cites (p. 29, 50) and other articles on sectarian drifts - https://www.pratiquesensante.com/blog/tag/derives-sectaires-45.

🌐 External resource : ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine, « Practices of unconventional care (PSNC): a complement, never a replacement », published on 9 December 2025 (URL verified). Short and practical page: points to check before consulting a practitioner (training, evidence of effectiveness, compatibility with ongoing treatment) and contacts to reach (Miviludes, DGCCRF, ANSM, DDPP).

6️⃣  HASHTAGS

#healthpractices #SectarianDrifts #Miviludes #UnconventionalPractices #Control #Prevention #HealthMisinformation #PatientRights

7️⃣ VIEW ON HEALTH PRACTICES

Analysis Health Practices, not attributable to the authors of the guide.

⚠️ Accessibility (literacy) : not addressed as such. However, the guide cites a study linking information from social networks to lower health knowledge (p. 146) and offers lists of signals written in plain language, directed at the reader (p. 151-154).

⚠️ Empowerment (participation, community health) : treated from the perspective of individual rights: free and informed consent, right to refuse treatment (p. 52-53, 138), means given to families to verify qualifications, opinions and costs (p. 133). Participation and community health not explicitly treated; the Users' Commission is mentioned (p. 116).

✅ Equity (ethics, human rights, combating discrimination) : respect for freedom of conscience and secularism reiterated (p. 16, 40-41); removing or refusing to register a professional solely on the basis of their religious opinions is presented as illegal (p. 60); Charter of rights and freedoms of the elderly in annex (p. 169-170).

✅ Networking (intersectorality, partnership) : detailed alert circuits between Orders, references to "sectarian drifts" of the ARS, Miviludes, ANSM, DREETS, CRIP, prosecutor, associations and elected officials (p. 41-42, 58, 155-165) ; guide developed with the ministry responsible for Health and the orders (p. 10).

Assessment : strong point, concrete benchmarks and precise alert circuits for each profession ; main shortcoming, an approach focused on detection and reporting by professionals, which leaves little room for the participation of those concerned and for health literacy as a lever for prevention.

Reliability : institutional source (Miviludes, ministry, orders) ; legal framework updated until the end of 2025 ; some survey data older (Harris Interactive 2019, p. 40 ; DGCCRF 2017-2020, p. 35) ; some inconsistent references and dates (see notes) ; long, but divided into usable sheets separately.

This article : An editorial production based on experience enhanced by artificial intelligence - ​The English version of the site is an automatic translation: the French version prevails - Click on the image