In some mental disorders, patients behave inappropriately, are prone to aggression and are able to unknowingly harm themselves, surrounding people and objects. The answer to the question of what to do with such patients appeared even at the time of the emergence of medicine as a science - to restrict in movement and independent movement. Somewhat later, a straitjacket appeared as a type of special hospital uniform for patients. What is it these days and are there any non-standard ways of using this clothing?
Historical facts and myths
Today, the first association with the definition of a straitjacket is a psychiatric hospital. However, clothing originally fettered was invented to hold prison inmates. Such shirts are on display at the Peter and Paul Fortress Museum. Later, this type of clothing was borrowed in medical institutions as an alternative to the shackles in which patients were held earlier. An interesting fact is that there are no generally accepted standards for the manufacture of strict shirts and their classification. Straitjackets can be with or without sleeves, have a different number of belts, additional clips for attaching to a bed or other items. Sleeveless models have internal cavities for placing hands. Some shirts may have straps extending between the legs, a means of protection from being removed over the head.
How are straitjackets used in hospitals?
Since, as a rule, only the most dangerous and violent patients are limited in their movements, qualified personnel should use strict shirts. More often than one patient wears two or more orderlies with sufficient physical strength. To date, few institutions continue to use this tool. In Russia, it is often enough limited to bandages or ropes ("knitting") to fix the patient to the bed. In the West, they increasingly prefer to regularly administer strong
sedative drugs to patients to reduce nervous and physical activity. In medical circles you can often hear disputes - which is more humane in relation to patients - a straitjacket, drugs or ropes? There is no single right answer to this question, but for the sake of justice it is worth noting that some modern shirts do provide a secure fit, leaving the patient in the most free position.
Straitjacket: buy and wear?
Nowadays, medical shirts that restrict movement can be seen not only behind closed doors of hospitals. This accessory is often used in cinema and theatrical productions to create the image of a mentally ill. Where to go in search of such a shirt if, for example, you want to turn into a mentally unbalanced on the occasion of a costume ball for Halloween? It is unlikely that in Russia you will be able to find this accessory even in a workwear store or theater paraphernalia. But if you need a straitjacket very much, you can try to order it from abroad through one of the online stores of fetish clothes and paraphernalia. You can also try to sew such clothes to order in the studio or with your own hands.