Taser Gun Use Increasingly Common in Mental Health Facilities

While we commonly hear of police brutality and the use of force in the fight against crime, we often associate these events, today, to the use of taser guns. While taser guns provide for a method of restraint where necessary, there are many cases of taser abuse both within the law enforcement community as well as in the healthcare community.

Taser guns have made their way into some medical facilities, most commonly in psychiatric units and wards. While many mental health patients do not pose a risk to those who care for them, there are some that may become belligerent and violent in specific scenarios.

Where mental health professionals once used sedation by injection and restraint jackets, today, are using taser guns to gain control over a potentially violent mental health patient. While there is much debate over the safety of using taser guns, many mental health professionals find it is a safer, more effective, method for gaining control. In addition the use of taser guns may allow for the patient to feel a restored sense of dignity rather than being placed in restraint or heavily medicated.

For families, the use of a taser gun on their loved one may seem, at first, to be inhumane and inappropriate. However, when considering the other options for regaining control, taser gun use seems to be the best alternative.

In mental health facilities that accept funding from Medicaid and Medicare, the use of taser guns may not be permitted. Under CMS guidelines, facilities who accept funding from these programs must agree to comply with guidelines for restraint. Essentially, this restraint guideline provides for the use of the least aggressive form of restraint, without the use of a weapon, and does not permit the patient to be secluded if the patient does not wish to be secluded. As a result, many mental health facilities, who accept Medicare or Medicaid, find they are not permitted to use taser guns in response to violent conduct of a mental health patient.