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An endless chronicle of seclusion and restraint Volume 98, issue 1, Janvier 2022

Author
1 Rédacteur en chef adjoint de l’Information Psychiatrique
2 Copilote du groupe technique psycholégal de la Commission nationale de psychiatrie
* Correspondance

Seclusion and restraint in psychiatry have received special attention since the 2016 law modernizing the French healthcare system. Seclusion and restraint decisions made by a psychiatrist must meet highly specific criteria. As these measures constitute a deprivation of liberty, they must be of limited duration and be subject to review by a magistrate. Since 2016, the Constitutional Council has imposed modifications, considering certain provisions unconstitutional. The endless chronicle of these modifications is exposed in this article, as are proposals for a wide-ranging reflection in order to end the legal and professional instability and improve the available care modalities.