Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

The Open Dialogue is a psychiatric treatment based on dialogue, active listening and problem sharing.  It developed in Finland during the 1980s, with the aim of creating a model of health care for patients suffering from a mental disorder. This innovative method involves the integration of the patient’s family and social network that are two fundamental factors in the healing process.  A specialised and trained care team eases the creation of a dialogue where each individual actively participates, expressing his/her own considerations, in order to grasp the heart of the problem that represents the cause of the patient’s psychological distress and suffering. Therefore, through dialogue and communication, an effective model of mental health care may be created: it allows the patient to feel heard and understood and avoids the isolation and worsening of the disease. This paper primarily focuses on mental health and the several changes that psychiatry has undergone over the years. Moreover, it offers definitions of mental diseases, analysing the incidence of the main disorders from which the population suffers and the major treatments that are currently used to manage them. It also describes the role of the nurse in the psychiatric context, considered as one of the fundamental figures in the healing process and reference point for both the patient and his/her family. The analysis of the data shows how the Open Dialogue guidelines are intertwined with those of a good nursing practice, highlighting the importance of nurses as professional figures. The final aim of this paper consists in sharing the positive results of the Open Dialogue Approach so that it is known, studied and put into practice in psychiatric contexts.