Need adapted use of medication in the open dialogue approach for psychosis: a descriptive longitudinal cohort study

Background The open dialogue (OD) approach includes the need-adapted use of psychiatric medication in treating first-episode psychosis (FEP), but there is limited information on how psychiatric medications are actually used in OD-based services. This study aims to analyse long-term medication dispensing patterns among FEP cohort treated according to the OD. Methods The OD cohort consisted of people who received treatment for FEP in the Finnish Western Lapland catchment area at a time of OD implementation (n=61). The comparison group included people whose FEP treatment commenced outside the catchment area during the mid-1990s (n=1378). Data were gathered from national registers from onset to the end of the 10-year follow-up or death. A non-confirmatory descriptive comparison was performed to evaluate the usage patterns and cumulative exposure to psychiatric medication. Results Under OD, a smaller proportion had been dispensed benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and neuroleptics. Persons who had received these medications did not differ in cumulative exposure. In both groups, most of those who received neuroleptics in the first follow-up years continued using medication throughout follow-up. Discussion OD may assist in detecting FEP patients who can manage without neuroleptics, thus minimizing iatrogenic effects. Due to the observational design, further studies are required to confirm this hypothesis.