There is significant variation in the levels of compulsory psychiatric admission between countries and also between different geographical areas within countries. This suggests that some areas use more compulsory care than is necessary. By exploring the international literature and reporting on the RECON register study that included all compulsory admissions in Norway between 2014-18, this presentation argue that even if the observed variation is not fully explained, inventions at the primary care level hold potential for reducing coercion.