Open dialogues mobilise the resources of the family and the patient

Abstract

This chapter outlines the significance of the open dialogue approach for patients and their families. Open dialogue refers both to the way the psychiatric system is organised and to the role of dialogue in the meetings with the patient, family members, and professionals. Several evaluations of the effectiveness and treatment process in the open dialogue approach have been completed employing an action research methodology. By summarising the observations in these studies, the following main principles emerged: immediate support, a social networks perspective, flexibility and mobility, responsibility, psychological continuity, tolerance of uncertainty, and dialogism. The main forum for dialogues is the treatment meetings, where the major participants in the problematic situation join with the patient to discuss all the relevant issues. In Western Lapland, the effectiveness of open dialogue has been assessed in follow-up studies for first-episode psychotic patients. The results, compared with traditional treatment (comparison group), are promising.