title: Seclusion room vs. physical restraint in an adolescent inpatient setting: patients' attitudes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of physical restraints or a seclusion room for the treatment of adolescents in a psychiatric inpatient setting raises ethical dilemmas. We investigated the attitudes of adolescents towards these two means of confinement.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a structured questionnaire to collect data on the attitudes of 50 adolescent patients, hospitalized in a closed psychiatric ward, towards the use of physical restraint versus a seclusion room.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy per cent of the participants in the study preferred seclusion in the seclusion room over bed restraint, whereas 22% preferred physical restraint. Eighty-two percent described seclusion in the seclusion room as less frightening than restraint. Seventy-four per cent reported that seclusion in the seclusion room improved their mental state to a larger extent than restraint. The inpatient adolescents reported feeling the time they needed to reach a state of calm was shorter when they were confined to the seclusion room than when they were physically restrained (p>.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of a seclusion room may be preferable compared to physical restraint for inpatient adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Geha Mental Health Center, Petach Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vishnivetsky
authors.forename: Gal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shoval
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Leibovich
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giner
authors.forename: Marsel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mitrany
authors.forename: Dorit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Aliza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barzilay
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Volovick
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weizman
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zalsman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010356:Patient Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000523:psychology*; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult