Involuntary Civil Commitments After the Implementation of California's Mental Health Services Act

Preventing and reducing ‘coercion’ in mental health services: an international scoping review of English‐language studies

“…Five studies examined locked/unlocked door or 'open door' policies in mental health wards (and others referred to unlocked facilities in 'community'-based sites, such as respite houses, which will be discussed below). Christian Huber and colleagues argued that there is insufficient evidence that treatment on locked wards can effectively prevent absconding, suicide attempts, and death by suicide (59). Andres Schneeberger and colleagues, drawing on two large-scale studies based on data for 349 574 admissions to 21 German psychiatric inpatient hospitals from 1998, to 2012, indicated that hospitals with an 'open door policy' did not have increased numbers of suicide, suicide attempts, and absconding with return, and without return (56,59).…”

“…Christian Huber and colleagues argued that there is insufficient evidence that treatment on locked wards can effectively prevent absconding, suicide attempts, and death by suicide (59). Andres Schneeberger and colleagues, drawing on two large-scale studies based on data for 349 574 admissions to 21 German psychiatric inpatient hospitals from 1998, to 2012, indicated that hospitals with an 'open door policy' did not have increased numbers of suicide, suicide attempts, and absconding with return, and without return (56,59). Conversely, they reported that treatment on open wards correlated with a decreased probability of suicide attempts, absconding with return, and absconding without return, but not completed suicide (59).…”

“…Andres Schneeberger and colleagues, drawing on two large-scale studies based on data for 349 574 admissions to 21 German psychiatric inpatient hospitals from 1998, to 2012, indicated that hospitals with an 'open door policy' did not have increased numbers of suicide, suicide attempts, and absconding with return, and without return (56,59). Conversely, they reported that treatment on open wards correlated with a decreased probability of suicide attempts, absconding with return, and absconding without return, but not completed suicide (59). They further found that '[r]estraint or seclusion during treatment was less likely in hospitals with an open door policy', as was aggressive behavior (86).…”