Psychiatric inpatients' perception of the seclusion-room experience.

In a study of psychiatric inpatients' perceptions of the seclusion-room experience, 52 voluntarily admitted adult patients in a state hospital were interviewed within 3 days of the experience. An 88-item semistructured interview schedule was used to obtain information on six research questions. Subjects' perceptions of the reasons for their seclusions varied greatly from perceptions of staff members. Findings implied that for some patients seclusion may have been unnecessary, but for others it was beneficial. Subjects who reported out-of-control impulses or pathological intensity of relationships prior to seclusion and who showed positive change in mood, behavior, or thinking toward staff and/or other patients during or after seclusion seem to have benefited from the experience.