By: JAMES M. HUNT, AIA | This article was originally published in Doors & Hardware.
Behavioral Healthcare facilities present a number of very unique challenges for door hardware specifications. Studies by the American Psychiatric Association have indicated that there are 1,500 psychiatric inpatient suicides in the US alone in 2003. The Joint Commission reports have shown that 75% of inpatient suicides on psyc
hiatric units are by “hanging” and that the majority of those involve doors. In addition, patients can barricade in-swinging doors to delay staff entrance to rooms and allow time for undesirable activities to take place.