Although some uses of seclusion rooms in an inpatient unit put negligible stress on the room, designing a seclusion room requires identifying the maximum stresses it will endure and building it to endure them over a long period of time. Factors to take into account include patients' potential physical strength, the motivational strengths shown in such states as catatonic excitement, the use of "tools" such as concealed coins, and the need to avoid points of purchase that can be gripped or pulled. Clinically based guidelines are given for materials and design of various elements of a seclusion room, such as walls, ceilings, lighting, and heating and cooling.
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