Who’s been in them? What’s your opinion on them?
Personally, I’ve only been in them three times. The first time they put leather cuffs on me and chained me face down to a table by all four limbs. I ended being left there for 5 or 6 hours I remember thinking how barbaric it was. I also remember thinking at the time (which was in 1980) that it was the worst thing that had even happened to me up to that time. It was just horrible to be out of your mind and so messed up that four orderlies had to grab me and take me the small room with the gurney. Bad, bad, experience.
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In the UK they are not allowed to use any restraint devices any more, so if you need to be restrained you generally have 4 or more nurses pin you to the floor or bed and hold you in position until either you stop screaming and thrashing or they give you an injection and then you stop screaming and thrashing. I’ve only been restrained a few times, but it is not pleasant having several big burly nurses pinning you down, I ended up with bruises and carpet burn (yep, carpets, in an old asylum which is now closed). I am grateful they don’t use cuffs or other devices, I think it’s barbaric. A pile of nurses on top of you and the chemical cosh is bad enough.
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I’ve been in restraints one time. They strapped me down, and I started bellowing, “Help! I want to talk to an attorney!” at the top of my voice. It just about drove them crazy. They said they could hear me three blocks away. They eventually found an attorney, and she came in and talked to me, but she didn’t get me out of restraints, so I kept bellowing. I bet they think twice before they strap me down again.
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Quite a few times, only because
I was a “Severe flight risk” because I tend to dash outta the place full speed.
Stupidly I challenged the ER doc’s gigantic security guard by saying I bet I could out run him. Then the leather restraints were easy for me to slip off my wrists, but before I could unbuckle the remaining ankle and run, I found 5 or 6 very large men trying to hold me down to put the 5 point restraints back on.
Challenge!
I eventually lost, but none of them were happy because I made them sweat.
I’m sure I deserved the restraints every time I got put in 'em, but at the time I listened to my psychotic thinking that said RUN, so I can’t complain too, too much.
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They used restraints on me last year and the year before when I had my hip replacement operations,
to protect me from hurting myself.
The ones they now use in the UK are now made of velcro and about 10cm wide.
I had to sign a form to say they had my permission to use them.
They have used four point restraints on me once. They also used hand cuffs on me once because I didn’t voluntarily get into a car while psychotic (i didn’t fight or so, i just froze). In the first case I understand why they put them on me, but since I was completely non-violent, I don’t agree. I think it was terrifying and dehumanizing and they didn’t realize how I registered and remembered everything they did. The attitude of one of the nurses was extra dehumanizing and I remember that to this day. I don’t think she saw me as a human being or even any sentient being at all at the time. They didn’t even talk to me or explain what they were doing, even though there was a nurse with me all the time I was in the restraints. I think they could at least have had the decency to treat me as a human being and talk me through it and explicitly state what they were doing and why.
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I was in restraints last time I was in the Hospital.
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I was held down by nurses after refusing an injection.
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I’ve had to restrain kids before as part of my job. There were all sorts of rules to try to minimize the trauma to the kids. We would only hold them down when they were actively trying to hurt themselves or others. If they were destroying the furniture or TV, we wouldn’t do anything unless it looked like they would hurt themselves on the pieces. We would only hold them until they showed calm behavior, which looked different for every kid. We never used injections or PRNs. And we could only hold them for a half hour within a two hour rolling period. If they were still in danger after that, we had to call a social worker, family court judge, and doctor to get permission to hold them again.
After the kids calmed down, we would check them to make sure they didn’t get hurt during the restraint. We were told not to make eye contact with the kids or talk to them during restraints, because it would rile them up further, and they would end up spending even longer in crisis. We tried to just move on and help them get back to a normal routine afterwards. If the kid seemed really shaken up by it, they would get to see a therapist to discuss the experience, but for the most part, they just seemed thankful that we stopped them from hurting anyone. It’s hard to tell, because my students were all nonverbal, but I had a kid who always hugged me and patted my back after he calmed down. We never abused the restraint system, and we always made sure the kids knew we cared about them as people. I wish every facility could be like this.
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I got strapped down and restrained in an ambulance before because I tried to jump out the back! It was stationary though
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Was that in the uk?
If you’re talking to me, then yes it was!
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Sorry, yeah I meant you. I didn’t know we were allowed restraints over here. Was a police officer there?
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Yeah there were police officers on the scene, but not in the ambulance! 
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This is interesting. Did the paramedic restrain you?
The police came into the ambulance and strapped me down on the gurney. I was very manic when this happened lol!
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I understand now. Wow!
I think ambulances have to have restraints because they’re a moving vehicle. Here, you always have to be strapped in, because of seatbelt laws.
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Retraints? What’s your experience?
My Girlfriend wanted to go home one night so I handcuffed her to me, we wrestled for some time, only to find out the key was lost, we had to go to the police station to get unlocked, they thought it was quite funny. On the bright side I got to spend more of the evening with her 
Oh wait this might not be what you were referring to.
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Hate them, they’re barbaric if you’re non-violent.
I was non-violent, but I made the mistake of getting up off the stretcher for a split second, ever since then for all i dunno 5 ambulance trips, they put me in wrist, ankle, chest restraints in American Ambulance ambulances.
I hate them they freak me out, I imagine that we’ll get into a car accident and I’ll be stuck restrained while the ambulance combusts into flames. I think it’s part of the normals dehumanization of us, too. Like, they think we’re not human enough for basic rights. Otherwise, they’d stick us in handcuffs, but no, they want to strap us down like animals
I still want to start a petition here and try to outlaw restraints unless the person is threatening immediate violence. I’m all traumatized from being strapped down and I never want to be restrained again.
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