Restraints can only be ordered by a doctor or other state-approved health professional. They must notify parents or guardians of the decision and check on the patient within an hour of the restraint. Centers must report any deaths caused by the practice to the federal government. The rules apply to in-patient care received in a residential center, which officials say are rapidly replacing hospitals as alternatives for children and teens with psychiatric disorders. Media and government reports of injuries and deaths in recent years have focused attention on how restraints and seclusion have been used in psychiatric hospitals and other facilities such as treatment centers for youths with behavioral or emotional problems.
Physical restraints restrict a person's movement, such as by pinning the person to the floor.
They may also include the use of straitjackets, leather straps or shackles. Patients may also be given sedatives, or other drug-induced restraints. Some patients are also secluded to protect themselves or others. HHS already has rules on how hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities receiving federal funds should use restraints on the mentally ill. Those rules cover adults and some children.