Premium
Seclusion: A Last Resort Measure
Author(s) -
Myers Sherry
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
perspectives in psychiatric care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1744-6163
pISSN - 0031-5990
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6163.1990.tb00313.x
Subject(s) - seclusion , intervention (counseling) , unit (ring theory) , psychology , mental health , crisis intervention , nursing , psychiatry , medicine , psychotherapist , mathematics education
The practice of secluding patients after violent incidents has long been a treatment used by mental health nurses. While seclusion keeps the patient from further self‐inflicted pain and restores normalcy to the unit, the practice often sets up an unending cycle of negative behavior. Other methods of dealing with the violent patient are explored in this article, including early intervention by nurses, ignoring the outburst, separating the disruptive person for a shorter time, and speaking gently with the client. The conclusion reached is that nurses must keep in mind the goal: to help the patient reintegrate into the group as safely and quickly as possible.