The Pain of Seclusion

[abbaking]

This is a touchy subject for me to openly discuss, but I think enough time has passed and my voice should be heard. When I was a teenager, i was sent to a residential treatment center in Texas for various issues including depression. Back then (1998), Texas had punitive child protection laws and many mental health facilities could utilize restraints and seclusion for minor infractions of the rules. There where many times when I was forced and dragged into the seclusion rooms - other times it was the screams that I heard from the other residents being tourtured in seclusion either by the staff or by there own demons. The pain I felt being locked inside that cold white 8x8 foot concrete cell was intense. I will never forget the lonliness and the dispair. A prison cell has more luxuries - at least a prison cell has a toilet. Sometimes the staff (underpaid, uneducated individuals) would refuse the residents to use even a bedpan or a urinal let alone the bathroom. I will never fully understand the hate and sadistic perversion that some employeed in the mental health field have against fellow humanity. I may never know this answer. What i do know is that the pain of seclusion is long lasting.....It distroys you ability to cope. You will forever feel like a POW. I pray for a time when restrains and seclusion are no longer used and when the mental health industry only employs caring and compassionate people.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I am so sorry you had to endure this.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I am also so sorry you had to endure this and thank you for sharing part of your story with us.

[ItsTheDude]

it's a shame, even the best funded, staffed, educated and understood areas of nursing/care/medicine damage patients. mental health is far from the best funded, staffed, educated or understood areas. it's a social and political problem that sadly will continue, it's has improved over time though.

[Jules A, MSN]

I am also sorry you went through this. At my facility we do not use restraints on children or adolescents ever. We have a high illness acuity so unfortunately there are times when a patient is not safe and we need to use the seclusion room. I rarely have to close the door. When LDS is necessary it is as brief as possible and closely monitored. My staff is respectful and kind to our patients. Not perfect but hopefully more caring and therapeutic than your experience. Again thank you for sharing.