On the concept of restraint in psychiatry

The aim of the present article is to provide a concise clarification of the concept of “restraint” in the psychiatric context, with particular reference to the official sources. The concept of restraint in general refers to the measures that restrict the freedom of movement of an individual and comprises various types of restraints; an essential characteristic of restraint in psychiatry is its fundamentally coercive nature. The various types of restraint defined here are the following: physical restraint (manual and mechanical), physical psychological restraint (a concept I introduce that completes the concept of physical restraint), chemical restraint, environmental restraint and psychological restraint.