Post by Admin on Sept 4, 2020 16:19:32 GMT
A new study published in BMC Psychiatry described the process of personal recovery for Norwegian people who experienced psychosis and were given the option to pursue under medication-free treatment. The study was led by Christine H. Ødegaard from the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, Larry Davidson from Yale University, and a team of researchers.
Their study found that recovery was facilitated when patients were given options of different therapies and provided education about the benefits, drawbacks, and evidence for the available treatments. The authors suggest that medication-free treatment can facilitate recovery beyond symptom relief, adding:
“Health care in Norway is perhaps one step closer to optimizing care for people with psychosis, allowing for more patient choice and improving the dialogue and hence the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the carer.”
Patient Experiences of Medication-Free Treatment for Psychosis
People experiencing psychosis who were presented with treatment options felt greater autonomy and less skepticism about therapies.
www.madinamerica.com/2020/09/patient-experiences-medication-free-treatment-psychosis/
“It means so much for me to have a choice”: a qualitative study providing first-person perspectives on medication-free treatment in mental health care
Christine H. Oedegaard, Larry Davidson, Brynjulf Stige, Marius Veseth, Anne Blindheim, Linda Garvik, Jan-Magne Sørensen, Øystein Søraa & Ingunn Marie Stadskleiv Engebretsen
bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-020-02770-2
Abstract
Background
In 2016, the Western Norway Regional Health Authority started to integrate more evidence-based psychosocial interventions into the existing mental health care, emphasizing the right for persons with psychosis to choose medication-free treatment. This change emerged from the debate on the effectiveness and adverse effects of the use of antipsychotic medication. Aspects beyond symptom reduction, such as interpersonal relationships, increased understanding of one’s own pattern of suffering, hope and motivation, are all considered important for the personal recovery process.
Methods
This study explores whether these aspects were present in users’ descriptions of their recovery processes within the medication-free treatment programme in Bergen, Western Norway. We interviewed ten patients diagnosed with psychosis who were eligible for medication-free services about their treatment experiences. Data were analysed using Attride-Stirling’s thematic network approach.
Results
The findings show a global theme relating to personal recovery processes facilitated by the provision of more psychosocial treatment options, with three organizing subthemes: interpersonal relationships between patients and therapists, the patient’s understanding of personal patterns of suffering, and personal motivation for self-agency in the recovery process. Participants described an improved relationship with therapists compared to previous experiences. Integrating more evidence-based psychosocial interventions into existing mental health services facilitated learning experiences regarding the choice of treatment, particularly the discontinuation of medication, and appeared to support participants’ increased self-agency and motivation in their personal recovery processes.
Conclusion
Health care in Norway is perhaps one step closer to optimizing care for people with psychosis, allowing for more patient choice and improving the dialogue and hence the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the therapist. Personal patterns of suffering can be explored within a system aiming to support and have a higher level of acceptance for the discontinuation of medication. Such a system requires personal agency in the treatment regimen, with more focus on personal coping strategies and more personal responsibility for the recovery process.
Their study found that recovery was facilitated when patients were given options of different therapies and provided education about the benefits, drawbacks, and evidence for the available treatments. The authors suggest that medication-free treatment can facilitate recovery beyond symptom relief, adding:
“Health care in Norway is perhaps one step closer to optimizing care for people with psychosis, allowing for more patient choice and improving the dialogue and hence the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the carer.”
Patient Experiences of Medication-Free Treatment for Psychosis
People experiencing psychosis who were presented with treatment options felt greater autonomy and less skepticism about therapies.
www.madinamerica.com/2020/09/patient-experiences-medication-free-treatment-psychosis/
“It means so much for me to have a choice”: a qualitative study providing first-person perspectives on medication-free treatment in mental health care
Christine H. Oedegaard, Larry Davidson, Brynjulf Stige, Marius Veseth, Anne Blindheim, Linda Garvik, Jan-Magne Sørensen, Øystein Søraa & Ingunn Marie Stadskleiv Engebretsen
bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-020-02770-2
Abstract
Background
In 2016, the Western Norway Regional Health Authority started to integrate more evidence-based psychosocial interventions into the existing mental health care, emphasizing the right for persons with psychosis to choose medication-free treatment. This change emerged from the debate on the effectiveness and adverse effects of the use of antipsychotic medication. Aspects beyond symptom reduction, such as interpersonal relationships, increased understanding of one’s own pattern of suffering, hope and motivation, are all considered important for the personal recovery process.
Methods
This study explores whether these aspects were present in users’ descriptions of their recovery processes within the medication-free treatment programme in Bergen, Western Norway. We interviewed ten patients diagnosed with psychosis who were eligible for medication-free services about their treatment experiences. Data were analysed using Attride-Stirling’s thematic network approach.
Results
The findings show a global theme relating to personal recovery processes facilitated by the provision of more psychosocial treatment options, with three organizing subthemes: interpersonal relationships between patients and therapists, the patient’s understanding of personal patterns of suffering, and personal motivation for self-agency in the recovery process. Participants described an improved relationship with therapists compared to previous experiences. Integrating more evidence-based psychosocial interventions into existing mental health services facilitated learning experiences regarding the choice of treatment, particularly the discontinuation of medication, and appeared to support participants’ increased self-agency and motivation in their personal recovery processes.
Conclusion
Health care in Norway is perhaps one step closer to optimizing care for people with psychosis, allowing for more patient choice and improving the dialogue and hence the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the therapist. Personal patterns of suffering can be explored within a system aiming to support and have a higher level of acceptance for the discontinuation of medication. Such a system requires personal agency in the treatment regimen, with more focus on personal coping strategies and more personal responsibility for the recovery process.