Almost 80% of approved mental health centres were using physical restraint in 2016, according to a new report from the Mental Health Commission.
According to the Commission, there was an increase in physical restraint and seclusion practices from 2015 to 2016, with 5,000 episodes of restrictive practices reported to them in 2016 alone.
79% of approved centres used physical restraint on patients that year, up from 75 in 2015.
More men then women were physically restrained, and 90% of all episodes are said to have lasted less than 15 minutes.
The HSE Community Healthcare Organisations with the highest rate of episodes of physical restraint per population was CHO 3: Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary/East Limerick.
Meanwhile, seclusion was used in 39% of approved centres in 2015, but that increased the following year to 42%.
There were 213 episodes where a person was locked in seclusion for over 24 hours, and 43 cases where a person was secluded for over 72 hours.
The Community Healthcare Organisation with the highest rate of episodes of seclusion per population was CHO 5: South Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Wexford.
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