Open AccessWhy Service Users Choose Medication-Free Psychiatric Treatment: A Mixed-Method Study of User Accounts
Author(s) -
Kari Standal,
Ole André Solbakken,
Jorun Rugkåsa,
Astrid Ringen Martinsen,
Margrethe Seeger Halvorsen,
Allan Abbass,
Kristin Sverdvik Heiervang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
patient preference and adherence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.885
H-Index - 48
ISSN - 1177-889X
DOI - 10.2147/ppa.s308151
Subject(s) - norwegian , medicine , thematic analysis , mental health , service (business) , psychiatry , descriptive statistics , mental health service , family medicine , nursing , qualitative research , social science , philosophy , linguistics , statistics , economy , mathematics , sociology , economics
Medication has been a central part of treatment for severe mental disorders in Western medicine since the 1950s. In 2015, Norwegian Health Authorities decided that Norwegian health regions must have treatment units devoted to medication-free mental health treatment to enhance service users' freedom of choice. The need for these units has been controversial. The aim of this study was to examine why service users choose medication-free services. This article examines what purpose these units serve in terms of the users' reasons for choosing this service, what is important for them to receive during the treatment, and what factors lay behind their concerns in terms of medication-related views and experiences.