Padded Rooms??!

Specialties Psychiatric

Updated:   Published

I was listening to a "news" story in passing tonight and heard that a certain celebrity is being kept in a "padded room" at the psych facility where she is. The story emphasised the "padded room" thing multiple times (for drama I'm dure) and that is was probably being done due to combativeness.

What I want to know is, are there really still padded rooms around?

I've worked in several psych facilities including a state facility in Florida and have NEVER seen a padded room. Seclusion with locked door sure, but if you're that worried about violence or self-inflicted injury wouldn't it be wiser to medicate with/without temp restraints until meds kick in?

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I've been in psychiatric nursing for >20 years, in three different states, and I've never seen an actual padded seclusion room.

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Specializes in behavioral health.

that story breaks my heart =(. Unlike people with paranoid psychosis, people actually are following her and 'out to get' her. >_<.>

I have never seen padded walls, but sometimes I wonder whether they would be less traumatic than 4pt restraints. On the other hand, involuntary med injection would be impossible with a patient frantically running around a room.

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Specializes in Mental Health.

I've been in Psychiatric nursing for >26 years and I have never seen a padded room.

I think the 'news' reporter was trying to make the 'news' sound more interesting or make the celebrity seem more ill than s/he actually is.

It would make me think twice about believing any 'news' from that source again.

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I have seen a padded seclusion room. Any patient agitated enough to need padded walls would probably have been put in 5-pt. restraints, possible with meds. I think the padding was mainly to protect staff while getting the patient restrained.

I know of a hospital elevator that was being used to move equipment during some remodeling work. Padding had been hung on the three walls to protect the paneling. As there were mental health practitioners in the building, you can bet people made plenty of jokes about the padded elevator.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

OOOOO--can I have one?? Sounds idyllic @ the moment. (not to minimalize this situation)

p.s. just because you are paranoid does not mean they are NOT out to get you.

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I want a "Moon Bounce" room myself.

Seems like it would be a great tension reliever to be able to throw myself around the place without getting hurt. Great idea for hyper kids, too. No home should be without one! :bugeyes:

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New2ER said:
I was listening to a "news" story in passing tonight and heard that a certain celebrity is being kept in a "padded room" at the psych facility where she is. The story emphasised the "padded room" thing multiple times (for drama I'm dure) and that is was probably being done due to combativeness.

What I want to know is, are there really still padded rooms around?

I've worked in several psych facilities including a state facility in Florida and have NEVER seen a padded room. Seclusion with locked door sure, but if you're that worried about violence or self-inflicted injury wouldn't it be wiser to medicate with/without temp restraints until meds kick in?

I am a nursing student on the Psych Unit at a local hospital, and yes we have several padded rooms there. The doors are not allowed to be locked as it is against Michigan law, according to my Instructor, and she works there on weekends. There is a crisis ER for Mental Health and we took a tour of that, 6 rooms, and two padded rooms in that area also. They call them "quiet" rooms and there is a sitter who sits outside of the door. Patients can also go in there if the Unit is too noisy for them, and they want to be in a quiet area. I have seen two patients placed in those rooms, after they attacked staff and were very aggressive. One pt. stayed in there for around 6 hours and was released back on to the unit, he was also medicated as well. Hope that helps.

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At the psych facility where I work we have 2 padded rooms. They are only four years old and cost $10,000 each. Patients go in there alot for "time-outs", but if we shut the door it becomes seclusion and then all the paperwork starts. They are useful until the patient bangs thier head around the metal trim that holds the window in place :angryfire. The rubbery padding material always smells weird and it a strange pink color!

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Specializes in LTC, Medical/Surgical, Telemetry.

We too have padded rooms which are used for the violent patients. in fact, preferred instead of restraints.

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Specializes in neurology.

The psych hospital I work at in Katonah NY has "quiet rooms" that have padded walls! The patients bang their heads or punch the walls until their PRN kicks in....

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