Resegregating psychiatric wards may protect women

• Published in: CrossCurrents (Toronto) Vol. 6; no. 2; pp. 4 - 5
• Main Author: Plowman, Robert
• Format: Newsletter Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 22.12.2002
• Subjects: Health aspects; Management; Mentally ill; Psychiatric clinics; Safety and security measures; Women; Canada
• ISSN: 1706-9548

"The findings reflect the need for clinicians to understand that a history of abuse or trauma is not separate and discrete from these people's lives," says Gallop. "Finding out about abuse isn't enough if we're not going to use that knowledge to modify treatment." In Canada, such sweeping change is not yet on the horizon. "We're in a slightly weak area because we don't have firm research data," says Dr. Sarah Romans, Shirley Brown Chair in Women's Mental Health Research at the University of Toronto. "We want comparative trials of women randomly assigned a single-gender ward or a mixed-gender ward, with outcomes. That would be the hard kind of data that would convince evidence-based management." "Staff need to become more sensitive to the needs and experiences of women inpatients," says Billie Pryer, manager of CAMH's Women's Inpatient Unit. "Safety on mixed wards isn't threatened just by perceived possible violence by male inaptients," she says. "Common staff practices like entering rooms at night need to be adjusted to promote environments that feel safe and respectful of women."