Informing the redesign of psychiatric seclusion rooms: a mixed-methods pre-evaluation with individuals with lived experience.
BMC psychiatry January 16, 2026 Leonie Ascone, Candelaria Mahlke, Nour Tawil et al. 2 citations
People who had been coercively isolated in psychiatric seclusion rooms (30 participants) rated digitally rendered room designs. Nature-themed wallpapers, especially a calm image of grass-covered dunes by the sea, along with blue and green wall colors, were rated as more restful and less stressful than a white empty control room, a beige-painted room, or a complex wilderness nature image. Qualitative interviews revealed preferences for calm, homelike, nature-themed, and controllable environments, as well as more transparent communication and respectful care. The findings challenge the assumption that sensory deprivation best supports de-escalation in seclusion, suggesting that blue and green color schemes and non-complex nature imagery are more favorable.