Mad in America
January 7, 2013
Robert Whitaker’s keynote presentation in Brighton, England explores the problems of the evidence base at the heart of the medical model, particularly for ‘psychosis’, and discusses the Open Dialogue approach to working with psychosis, from Finland. Open Dialogue seeks to create a space in which individuals come to understand each others’ perspectives and participated in shared meaning-making, rather than view a lack of consensus between individuals as “psychosis.”
The approach has, in its 25-year history, transformed its catchment area from one with the highest rate of schizophrenia in the world to the lowest, all but eliminating the progression of the problems with which it grapples into crises that meet criteria for “schizophrenia”.Around 75% of those experiencing psychosis have returned to work or study within 2 years and only around 20% have been found to still take antipsychotic medication at 2 year follow-up. This presentation is part of an on-going exploration into alternative recovery models by Mad in America.
http://www.madinamerica.com/2013/01/...logue-therapy/
