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Medication-free mental health treatment: a focus group study of milieu therapeutic settings
BACKGROUND: Medication-free treatment within mental health care aims to offer therapeutic support as an alternative to psychotropic medication. Introducing milieu therapy for severely mentally ill persons in a medication-free unit requires significant changes to the traditional medication-based psyc...
Autores principales: | , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
BioMed Central
2023
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10544370/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37784096 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05193-x |
Sumario: | BACKGROUND: Medication-free treatment within mental health care aims to offer therapeutic support as an alternative to psychotropic medication. Introducing milieu therapy for severely mentally ill persons in a medication-free unit requires significant changes to the traditional medication-based psychiatric setting. The present study examines how milieu therapists experience working with medication-free treatment for people with severe mental health challenges. The research question was “What may be required to succeed with medication-free treatment in milieu therapeutic settings?” METHODS: A qualitative study with four focus groups were conducted with 23 milieu therapists from three inpatient units in two mental health institutions. Thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS: One main theme was identified: medication-free treatment involves therapists and patients working together on holistic and personal health promotion. This common thread links the four themes: helping patients to make changes in their life; having time to focus on the individual patient; being a professional companion; and working together as a team with the patient. CONCLUSIONS: A holistic approach is necessary for medication-free treatment to succeed. This requires working together in multidisciplinary teams with a focus on the individual patient. Milieu therapists must engage and take more responsibility in the patient’s process of health promotion. A change from a medical to a humanistic paradigm within mental health care is needed. |
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