I am not trying to disparage the police service as a whole but when I was sectioned I was treated with a level of brutality that still gives me flashbacks. In hospital, where I am now, I heard stories that were far, far worse than mine. The most horrifying were the ones that happened to women in their 60s and 70s, and the fact that nurses who work here confirm these stories.
I found out last night, whilst discussing this with a Staff Nurse, that there is another method, in which all psychiatric nurses are trained (not sure if this applies to all nurses). It doesn't involve handcuffs, which can be 'ratcheted' more and more tightly (in my case, I had extensive bruising and paralell red lines where part of the handcuffs hand broken my skin.
I am wondering why I have not heard of this before, or why no one has kicked up a fuss about it before, because an equally effective method of restraint exists.
The nurse demonstrated it on me last night. I would have been completely unable to get away, or to harm myself or others, and the amount of pain I experienced was entirely up to me, and how much I wriggled.
Apparently (I have just had another chat with the same nurse), there are other models that do no harm to the patient; bubble (!?) and PRT.
Any thoughts?