The Role of the Psychiatrist in Seclusion and Restraint

Psychiatrists have been involved in seclusion and restraint (S-R) management and mitigating its abuses for 200 years. The emphasis on finding alternatives to S-R has produced much of the recent success in decreasing its use. Nonetheless, patients continue to suffer from abuse and to die in S-R events, so a need for more assessments and interventions seems like a productive avenue to pursue. One approach is to involve psychiatrists more intensively in all S-R activities as is part of the widely used, rationale-based practice, Six Core Strategies to Prevent Conflict, Trauma, and Violence. These opportunities are reviewed.