Recent literature supports the effectiveness of treating some people with serious mental illness in secure environments, particularly when they need intensive care.
Secure environments like psychiatric inpatient units or secure behavioral health residential settings provide a controlled and therapeutic space that can help stabilize patients while minimizing risks.
Inpatient Psychiatric Units and secure residential facilities provide a combination of safety and structured care that is crucial for folks with a SMI who may be at risk of self-harm or violence.
Research shows that when properly designed, secure environments help reduce adverse events, support mental health recovery, and create therapeutic relationships between patients and staff, while avoiding unnecessary coercion.
A 2022 meta-analysis on inpatient suicides emphasizes that secure, therapeutic environments with proper safety measures can significantly reduce risks in psychiatric patients. This highlights the critical role of secure settings in stabilizing patients during acute crises.
How Inpatient Psychiatric Units Can Be Both Safe and Therapeutic | Journal of Ethics
Mental Health America highlights that involuntary treatment (including inpatient commitment) is essential for patients who require structure to engage in treatment that they would otherwise avoid: Involuntary Mental Health Treatment | Mental Health America
These findings underscore the importance of secure psychiatric environments for individuals with an SMI, especially those needing intensive, non-voluntary care. These settings not only provide safety but also enhance therapeutic engagement, facilitating long-term recovery.
In our next post we’ll discuss how Arizona’s shortage of secure treatment facilities is undermining care for persons who need a more secure setting for their court ordered treatment.