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Agitation in dementia is common, persistent and distressing and can lead to care breakdown. Medication is often ineffective and harmful. To systematically review randomised controlled trial evidence regarding non-pharmacological interventions. Method We reviewed 33 studies fitting predetermined criteria, assessed their validity and calculated standardised effect sizes (SES). Person-centred care, communication skills training and adapted dementia care mapping decreased symptomatic and severe agitation in care homes immediately (SES range 0.3-1.8) and for up to 6 months afterwards (SES range 0.2-2.2). Activities and music therapy by protocol (SES range 0.5-0.6) decreased overall agitation and sensory intervention decreased clinically significant agitation immediately. Aromatherapy and light therapy did not demonstrate efficacy. There are evidence-based strategies for care homes. Future interventions should focus on consistent and long-term implementation through staff training. Further research is needed for people living in their own homes.

Hospital care is still an integral part of mental healthcare services. But the impact of ward design on treatment outcomes is unclear. To review the effects of ward design on patient outcomes and patient and staff well-being. A systematic review of literature was carried out on Medline, Embase and PsycINFO. Papers on psychogeriatric and child and adolescent wards were excluded as these necessitate specific safety features. Twenty-three papers were identified. No strong causal links between design and clinical outcomes were found. Private spaces and a homely environment may contribute to patient well-being. Different stakeholders may experience ward design in conflicting ways; design has a symbolic and social dimension for patients. Data on the impact of design on treatment outcomes are inconclusive. Rigorous randomised controlled trials, qualitative studies and novel methods are called for. Different stakeholders' responses to the ward as a symbolic environment merit further investigation.

Purpose This study aims to identify whether selected patient and ward-related factors are associated with the use of coercive measures. Data were collected as part of the EUNOMIA international collaborative study on the use of coercive measures in ten European countries. Methods Involuntarily admitted patients ( N  = 2,027) were divided into two groups. The first group ( N  = 770) included patients that had been subject to at least one of these coercive measures during hospitalization: restraint, and/or seclusion, and/or forced medication; the other group ( N  = 1,257) included patients who had not received any coercive measure during hospitalization. To identify predictors of use of coercive measures, both patients’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and centre-related characteristics were tested in a multivariate logistic regression model, controlled for countries’ effect. Results The frequency of the use of coercive measures varied significantly across countries, being higher in Poland, Italy and Greece. Patients who received coercive measures were more frequently male and with a diagnosis of psychotic disorder (F20–F29). According to the regression model, patients with higher levels of psychotic and hostility symptoms, and of perceived coercion had a higher risk to be coerced at admission. Controlling for countries’ effect, the risk of being coerced was higher in Poland. Patients’ sociodemographic characteristics and ward-related factors were not identifying as possible predictors because they did not enter the model. Conclusions The use of coercive measures varied significantly in the participating countries. Clinical factors, such as high levels of psychotic symptoms and high levels of perceived coercion at admission were associated with the use of coercive measures, when controlling for countries’ effect. These factors should be taken into consideration by programs aimed at reducing the use of coercive measures in psychiatric wards.

Objective The aim of this study was to identify quantitative data on the use of seclusion and restraint in different countries and on initiatives to reduce these interventions. Methods Combined literature review on initiatives to reduce seclusion and restraint, and epidemiological data on the frequency and means of use in the 21st century in different countries. Unpublished study was detected by contacting authors of conference presentations. Minimum requirements for the inclusion of data were reporting the incidence of coercive measures in complete hospital populations for defined periods and related to defined catchment areas. Results There are initiatives to gather data and to develop new clinical practice in several countries. However, data on the use of seclusion and restraint are scarcely available so far. Data fulfilling the inclusion criteria could be detected from 12 different countries, covering single or multiple hospitals in most counties and complete national figures for two countries (Norway, Finland). Both mechanical restraint and seclusion are forbidden in some countries for ethical reasons. Available data suggest that there are huge differences in the percentage of patients subject to and the duration of coercive interventions between countries. Conclusions Databases on the use of seclusion and restraint should be established using comparable key indicators. Comparisons between countries and different practices can help to overcome prejudice and improve clinical practice.

Purpose Throughout the past 50 years mental health services have aimed to provide and improve high quality inpatient care. It is not clear whether there has been improvement as service users and nursing staff have both expressed frustration at the lack of therapeutic activities. In particular, it may be that the changing levels of symptoms over the past 50 years may affect engagement with ward activities. Methods Eight wards in a health care trust in London serving an inner city and urban populations participated. Data were collected on participation in activities and 116 service users’ perceptions of acute care as well as clinical factors. Results Less time was spent participating in activities today than 50 years ago, while one quarter of service users reported taking part in no activities at all. Uptake of activities was related to more positive service user perceptions of the wards. Symptom severity did not impact the frequency of participation in activities, although those who took part in no activities at all had higher negative symptoms scores. Conclusions Service users’ uptake of activities was not related to the severity of their illness. This belies the belief that the acutely ill cannot take part in meaningful activities. This study supports the view that more therapeutic activities could be taken up by the acutely ill and are in fact appreciated.

Seclusion and restraint are frequent procedures to intervene in aggressive and potentially dangerous patients in psychiatric settings. However, little is known about their utilization and effectiveness in pediatric populations. We aimed to examine the prevalence and determinants of seclusion and restraint utilization in children and adolescents in psychiatric settings. Using PubMed, PsychInfo and Cinahl, we performed a systematic literature review of studies published in the last 10 years reporting on the prevalence of seclusion and restraint use in psychiatrically ill youth (<21 years old) treated in psychiatric settings. Only seven publications addressed the topic. Primary outcomes were prevalence rates, reported either as the proportion of patients restrained/secluded or as the number of restraints/seclusions per number of patient days. All studies found relatively high baseline rates of seclusion (26% of patients; 67/1,000 patient days), and restraints (29% of patients; 42.7/1,000 patient days). In four studies, an intervention, implemented to reduce seclusion and restraints, resulted in a dramatic weighted mean reduction in the more restrictive use of restraints by 93.2%, with a 54.2% shorter duration. There was a small, weighted mean reduction in the use of less restrictive seclusions (−0.6%), but results were heterogeneous (−97.2 to +71.0%), with the only increase in seclusions being reported in one study in which the intervention-based padded seclusion room was utilized more frequently instead of more restrictive measures. Otherwise, seclusion episodes reduced by 74.7%, including a 32.4% shorter duration. Few studies reported on risk-factors and predictors, consisting of past or current aggression and/or violence, suicidal behavior, more severe psychopathology, non-White ethnicity, emergency admissions, out-of-home placement, and poorer family functioning, while findings regarding age were inconsistent Except for duration, data about the effectiveness of seclusion and restraints were missing, although there is some indication that seclusion and restraints can lead to severe psychological and physical consequences. Future research should focus on indications, predictors, preventive and alternative strategies, as well as on clinical outcomes of seclusion and restraints in psychiatrically ill youth. In addition, there is a clear need for transparent policies and guidelines.

This study examined predictors of psychiatric hospitalization among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data were collected from 760 caregivers of children with ASD. Cox regression was used to determine factors associated with hospitalization. Almost 11% were hospitalized. Youth in single parent homes were more likely to be hospitalized (OR = 2.54), as were youth diagnosed at a later age (OR = 1.10). Engaging in self-injurious behavior (OR = 2.14), aggressive behavior (OR = 4.83), and being diagnosed with depression (OR = 2.48) or obsessive compulsive disorder (OR = 2.35) increased the odds of hospitalization. Risk for hospitalization increased with age and over time. The results suggest early diagnosis and community-based interventions for aggressive and self-injurious behaviors may reduce hospitalizations.

This study explores the use of a sensory room on a psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU), with a particular focus on the effect on seclusion rates and staff and patients’ experiences of using the sensory room. A mixed method research design was used, with the collection of seclusion data before and after a sensory room was introduced followed by qualitative interviews with staff and patients. No significant reduction in seclusion rates was noted with the introduction of the seclusion room. However, the interviews revealed a perception among staff that there had been a reduction in seclusion rates. Other findings from the interviews were that staff and patients viewed the sensory room as a positive therapeutic intervention, and use of the sensory room had improved staff-patient communication and patients’ overall experience of the PICU. The use of a sensory room should be an intervention considered by other PICUs and inpatient psychiatric settings. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 52 (5), 22–30.]

This observational study examined the changes during inpatient cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) of adolescents with chronic anxious-depressive school absenteeism with or without comorbid disruptive symptoms. 147 adolescents (aged 12–18 years) with a specific phobia or other anxiety disorder or a depressive episode or a mixed disorder of conduct and emotions and who had completely ceased to attend school or showed irregular school attendance underwent an inpatient cognitive-behavioral treatment. A further 16 patients aborted the treatment during the first day and were not included in the analyses. The treatment was manual guided and also included parents. Assessments were made pre-inpatient treatment, immediately post-inpatient treatment and at 2-month follow-up. School attendance was the primary outcome variable and secondary outcomes were composite scores of a range of adolescent- and parent-rated mental health problems. Overall, results show a considerable decline of school absenteeism and mental health problems during treatment and subsequent follow-up. Continuous school attendance was achieved by 87.1% of the sample at the end of inpatient treatment and by 82.3% at 2-month follow-up. Comorbid symptoms of anxiety, depression, disruptive and insufficient learning behavior were significantly reduced from pre to follow-up, with effect sizes for the composite scores ranging from 0.44 to 1.15 ( p  < 0.001). This large observational study in adolescents with school absenteeism and a mixture of emotional and disruptive symptoms is the first to show the benefits of inpatient therapy that included cognitive-behavioral therapy and access to a special school with expertise on teaching children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. The results must be interpreted conservatively because of the lack of a control condition.