Is this proper procedure? my sister was admitted into the er for an overdose.while there the nurse decided to cath her, she was not violent in any way but the nurse had two male security guards and 4 females hold her down, even after she expressed the fac

This : This sounds like an upsetting experience. Usually a person is held down (restrained) if there is concern that they may be a harm to self or others. It would be unusual to have six individuals hold a person down if there wasn't some concern about safety. Sometimes, if a person has overdosed, they might not be able to cooperate with evaluation and testing. Sometimes even if a person is not overtly violent, the staff may take precautionary measures if the persons behavior suggests that they are agitated or have potential to become aggressive. Since i was not present, i can't defend or condemn what happened. The only reason i could see keeping two male security guards in the room against your sister's wishes was if it was deemed necessary to keep everyone involved safe (including medical staff). Bruising can occur if a person is combative or if vigourosly restrained. The general rule with psychiatry, is that we try to use the minimal degree of force necessary to safely handle a situation. I am sorry that I am not able to provide you with a more definitive response.

Very : Very tricky situation ... You might want to consider starting with a chat with the hospital's patient representative.