Restraint and seclusion: a distressing treatment option?



Restraint and seclusion: a distressing treatment option?

Introduction

The use of restraints and seclusion seen in the psychiatric and mental health services can safely be concluded to be the most controversial practice all around the world. There is a long going debate over the legal, professional, ethical, attitude, and safety, of using the restraints and seclusion methods (Wynaden et al., 2002).

In psychiatry, practice of seclusion and restraints intervention aims to treat and manage people suffering from disruptive or violent behavior. Restraints and seclusions are used in emergency situations and serves to be the final response to manage situations where a critical assessment of the patient is done in prior. If the assessment portrays a significant risk for the patient themselves, or to the staff, and no other less restrictive method is available, only then this intervention is employed (Groves, 2008).

Although there seems to be beneficial effects of using restrains and seclusion intervention in people with behavior problems, current researches also suggests numerous side effects. Most significant is the negative effect it has on the nursing staff. The decision to the use of this intervention may be considerate for the rights of patients to receive least restrictive care. However, the rights of other patients and staff working to have a safe environment cannot be ignored (Groves, 2008).

There is a wide range of literature available, such as this, which suggests how the controversial use of restraints and seclusion leads to emotional distress and dilemma for the nursing staff. This review presents the emotions and feeling a group of psychiatric nurses went through due to this type of intervention used in patients (Moran et al., 2009).

Discussion

There are various definitions for restraints and seclusion that are widely available, due to the controversial nature of the subject. For the purpose of this literature analysis, seclusion is defined as placing or retaining a patient in a clear room to avoid a clinical scenario which may lead to a state of emergency. On the other hand, physical restraint refers to a situation where the staff physically holds the patient (Sailas & Wahlbeck, 2007).

Even with the long debate over the ethical dilemma, as well as the numerous controversies linked with its adverse effect, there is a significant lack of research and clinical standard which governs its use. The use of these restraints and seclusions leads to drastic emotional disturbances ...