From the other side of the door: patient views of seclusion.

1. Patient participants viewed seclusion as a form of punishment that maintains physical, and at times, psychological control over the secluded person. 2. A seclusion episode should serve a greater function than simply containment or preserving safety. During this period of crisis for the patient, they felt an even greater need for a therapeutic intervention. 3. Environmental, procedural, and attitudinal changes were emphasized by the patients in this study as a means to enhance the therapeutic potential of seclusion.