During Black History Month, the mental health watchdog calls for more patient rights to be established to protect against restraint abuse in psychiatric facilities.
-- As the nation observes Black History Month, it is essential to address the racial disparities in the use of restraints and seclusion in psychiatric facilities. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a more than 50-year mental health industry watchdog, emphasizes the urgent need for reform and advocates for the protection of vulnerable patients from the harmful and often lethal effects of restraint practices.
CCHR commends efforts to prohibit life-threatening restraints and seclusion in psychiatric hospitals, especially for minors and vulnerable adults, who need to be safeguarded from traumatic and sometimes fatal restraint practices. It stresses the need to less intrusive interventions and workable care.[1]
The disproportionate impact of restraint practices on racial minorities is especially concerning. Studies have shown that African Americans are significantly overrepresented in restraint-related deaths, with one report from 2011 finding that African Americans accounted for 22% of restraint-related deaths while making up only 13% of the U.S. population. Furthermore, Black and multiracial patients are more likely to experience longer periods of restraint compared to their White peers.[2] A 2021 study revealed that Black patients continue to be at a higher risk of experiencing both physical and chemical restraint compared to White patients.[3]
In response to the growing number of restraint-related deaths, CCHR formed its Task Force Against Racism and Modern-Day Eugenics in 2020. Led by Reverend Frederick Shaw, the task force aims to end both physical and chemical restraint deaths, particularly among minority communities. This initiative was inspired by the tragic deaths of several individuals, including a 16-year-old African American boy who died after being restrained in a Michigan facility in 2020.[4] Similarly, in 2022, a 7-year-old foster child died after being restrained in a psychiatric residential facility in Louisville, Kentucky.[5]
These heartbreaking incidents highlight the need for decisive action to end the use of seclusion and mechanical restraints in psychiatric facilities. Despite the overwhelming evidence of their harmful effects, these practices remain widespread. A 2023 report from Psychiatric Services called for regulatory reforms to end restraints, emphasizing the trauma and risks of lethal outcomes such as asphyxiation and cardiac events.[6]
The successful example of the Pennsylvania State Hospital System, which phased out restraints and seclusion between 2011 and 2020, demonstrates that it is possible to improve patient safety while eliminating harmful practices. A 2022 study published in Psychiatry Online found that this initiative led to a significant reduction in restraint duration, physical restraint incidents, and improved overall safety measures.[7]
Globally, the movement to end harmful restraint practices is gaining momentum. In October 2023, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released guidance highlighting the severe harm caused by coercive psychiatric practices, including the use of restraints.[8] These organizations join CCHR in advocating for an outright ban on all coercive measures, including restraint and forced detention in mental health facilities.
CCHR, which was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and eminent professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, continues to advocate for the elimination of coercive restraint practices and calls for similar actions across the U.S. and globally to protect patients from these potentially harmful measures. CCHR remains committed to ensuring that measures are put in place to prevent further trauma and loss of life. As CCHR International President Jan Eastgate states, "A unified movement is needed to end the harmful use of restraint and seclusion in psychiatric facilities and prevent further unnecessary deaths."
Sources:
[1] trackbill.com/bill/hawaii-house-bill-1394-restraint-seclusion-minors-vulnerable-adults-hospitals-medical-facilities/2638204/
[2] www.cchrint.org/2022/06/29/us-could-learn-from-reform-of-coercive-mental-health-practices/; “National Review of Restraint Related Deaths of Children and Adults with Disabilities: The Lethal Consequences of Restraint,” Equip for Equality, 2011, www.equipforequality.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/National-Review-of-Restraint-Related-Deaths-of-Adults-and-Children-with-Disabilities-The-Lethal-Consequences-of-Restraint.pdf; “Race-Based Disparities in the Frequency and Duration of Restraint Use in a Psychiatric Inpatient Setting,” Psychiatric Services, 1 Apr. 2024, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37855100/
[3] Colin M. Smith, et al., “Association of Black Race With Physical and Chemical Restraint Use Among Patients Undergoing Emergency Psychiatric Evaluation,” Psychiatry Online, 21 Dec. 2021, psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202100474
[4] www.cchrint.org/2024/05/31/journal-urges-its-time-to-regulate-troubled-teen-behavioral-programs/
[5] Deborah Yetter, “7-year-old died at Kentucky youth treatment center due to suffocation, autopsy finds; 2 workers fired,” Louisville Courier-Journal, 19 Sept. 2022, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/09/19/death-child-jaceon-terry-brooklawn-kentucky-youth-center/10428004002/
[6] “Toward the Cessation of Seclusion and Mechanical Restraint Use in Psychiatric Hospitals: A Call for Regulatory Action,” Psychiatric Services, Jan. 2024, psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202100538
[7] Gregory M. Smith, “Effects of Ending the Use of Seclusion and Mechanical Restraint in the Pennsylvania State Hospital System, 2011-2020,” Psychiatry Online, 20 July 2022, psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202200004
[8] “Mental health, human rights and legislation,” World Health Organization and United Nations, www.who.int/publications/b/70051
Contact Info:
Name: Amber Rauscher
Email: Send Email
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights International
Address: 6616 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90028, United States
Phone: +1-323-467-4242
Website: https://www.cchrint.org
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89152536
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