The act of secluding, i.e. shutting out or keeping apart from society, or the state of being secluded, or a place that facilitates it (a secluded place). A person, a couple, or a larger group may go to a secluded place for privacy

Privacy

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...

, or because the place is quiet. Seclusion of a single person is also called solitude

Solitude

Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, i.e., lack of contact with people. It may stem from bad relationships, deliberate choice, infectious disease, mental disorders, neurological disorders or circumstances of employment or situation .Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one...

.

Restrictions on the seclusion of a man and a woman

In some cases where there are legal, religious or social restrictions on two people having physical intimacy

Physical intimacy

Physical intimacy is sensual proximity or touching. It can be enjoyed by itself or be an expression of feelings which people have for one another...

, there may even be such restrictions on just being together in a secluded place. For example, under traditional schools of sharia

Sharia

Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...

 or Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

ic law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

, a man and a woman who are not married and not mahram

Mahram

In Islamic sharia legal terminology, a mahram is an unmarriageable kin with whom sexual intercourse would be considered incestuous, a punishable taboo...

, being together in a house, a room, a bathroom, or a secluded place may be forbidden. A man and women could be in a secluded area for work purposes, just talking, anything that does not allow them to pass their limits. See also yichud

Yichud

The prohibition of yichud , in Halakha is the impermissibility of seclusion of a man and a woman who are not married to each other in a private area. Such seclusion is prohibited in order to prevent the two from being tempted or having the opportunity to commit adulterous or promiscuous acts.The...

 -- a similar rule in Judaism.

Seclusion as a therapy

Seclusion may be used as a control tactic in psychiatric treatment settings. Seclusion of an agitated person in a quiet room free of stimulation may help de-escalate a situation which may be dangerous to the agitated person or those around him.

In relation to administering medications, seclusion is a tactic devised for those unwilling to proceed with instructions. Patients who are secluded due to aggressive behaviour should not be restrained to seclusion nor medication to calm them instead restraint measures should be taken into consideration. Other measures, such as behavioural therapy, should be considered when assessing the care of the patient.

Seclusion must only be used in the best interest of the patient, it must only be used as a last resort method and must not be prolonged as a form of punishment on the patient. In Ireland, The Mental Health Commission governs seclusion in psychiatric institutions. The Act states that a person can only be placed in seclusion if

• it prevents them from hurting themselves and/or others
• and it complies with the rules set out by the Commission.