Most common diagnoses requiring physical restriction of psychiatric patients: Humanity at the test

Attitude about physical restriction has been changing through history. It has always been multidimensional approach, including ethic, medical and judicial aspect.OBJECTIVEThe main aim was establishing distribution of physical restrictions of patients for the following years: 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11.METHODSThe research included patients that were hospitalized in the Special Hospital for Psychiatric Disorders "Dr. Laza Lazarević" in Belgrade from June 1, 2006 to June 1, 2011. Retrospective review of illness history of hospitalized female patients was done (350 in total) and records were formed containing data on physically restrained patients.RESULTSThe largest number of referral diagnoses belonged to groups F20, F23 and F29; it was established that the number of physical restrictions was associated with referral diagnoses on the level of highly statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). The average number of restrainees per hospitalized patient which was growing in the studied period, which was also shown by the trend line (y = 0.5x + 1.06; R2 = 0.7242).CONCLUSIONPhysical restrictions of psychiatric patients must backed up by benevolence, and it is not by any means the doctor's arbitrariness, which is strongly criticized and represents breach of ethical norms, human rights and the rights of the patient as guaranteed by law. This topic, which, indeed, refers to modern psychiatry, deserves more attention by public discussions, as well as by legislative regulations.