Commentary: On regulation, wishfulness, and denial.

Restraint and seclusion are unsavory topics within a discipline that cherishes verbal interventions. As such, the principles of use are haphazardly taught by in-house clinicians or private agencies. Policy standards were published in the 1980s, but they have not been officially updated, despite the fact that an American Psychiatric Association (APA) committee met in 2003 to overhaul the standards of care.

Resource document on the use of restraint and seclusion in correctional mental health care.

This resource document discusses the use of seclusion or restraint for purposes of mental health intervention in correctional facilities. Correctional mental health standards essentially state that seclusion or restraint, when used for health care purposes, should be implemented in a manner consistent with current community practice. The community practice was significantly impacted and revised during July 1999, after the Health Care Financing Administration defined rules for the use of seclusion and restraint in facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid.