“Open Dialogue behind locked doors” – exploring patients’, family members’, and professionals’ experiences with network meetings in a locked psychiatric hospital unit: A qualitative study

Abstract

This paper explores and describes the experiences of patients, family members, and professionals with the Open Dialogue approach to network meetings at a locked psychiatric hospital unit in Norway. Previous research on Open Dialogue has mostly focused on acute crises in community care contexts. In this article, we discuss the participants’ experiences with Open Dialogue in a new context; that is in an inpatient locked unit. The inpatients are suffering from severe mental illness and might have been admitted to the unit against their will. The study has a qualitative design. Data were collected through a focus group interview with professionals and from written evaluations by patients and their families. Data were analyzed using systematic text condensation. The findings suggest that the Open Dialogue approach is largely a positive experience for patients, family members, and professionals in a locked psychiatric unit.