ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Rehabilitation
This article is part of the Research TopicPromoting Mental Health among Healthcare ProfessionalsView all 23 articles
"Something is Clashing" - Intentions to Offer Medication-Free Services Within a Traditional Mental Health Ward
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universitetet i Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
- 2Faculty of Health Science, Stavanger, Norway
- 3Department of Health VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway
- 4Universitetet i Agder, Kristiansand, Norway
- 5Department of Psychosocial Health, Kristiansand, Norway
- 6District Psychiatric Center, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- 7Department of Psychiatry and Substance Abuse, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- 8Department of Health Studies, VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway
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Introduction: Medication-Free treatment in mental healthcare aims to avoid pressure and coercion related to medication use, focusing on psychosocial interventions such as psychotherapy and milieu therapy. This approach emphasizes patient participation and voluntarism, aligning with human rights and shared decision-making principles. Knowledge about the challenges faced by mental healthcare professionals when introducing Medication-Free treatment in traditional mental health wards remains limited. This study aimed to explore the experiences of mental health professionals working in a ward that also offers Medication-Free services in order to gain a deeper understanding of this practice. Methods: A qualitative case study was conducted with two focus groups from a community mental health center ward in Eastern Norway. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The overall theme Medication-Free services clash with a traditional medical system, was a common thread among the three themes: 1) Working within an inflexible structure: Mental health professionals experienced frustration due to rigid procedures that limited their ability to tailor treatments to individual patient needs. 2) The relationship between power and responsibility is not well balanced: Mental health professionals perceived a significant imbalance in power dynamics, with doctors and psychologists holding most of the authority. 3) Relational work with patients does not receive sufficient focus: Mental health professionals felt that the emphasis on relational work was inadequate, impacting the effectiveness of Medication-Free treatment. Conclusion: Medication-Free services conflict with traditional medical systems due to fundamental differences in philosophy, structure, power dynamics and focus. Systemic changes are necessary to create a more flexible, empowering and relationship-focused milieu that supports both approaches effectively.
Keywords: implementation, medication-free treatment, Mental healthcare, Milieu Therapy, Patient Participation, Psychosocial Interventions, Qualitative case study, Recovery
Received: 23 Sep 2025; Accepted: 02 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Beyene, Hem, Topor, Kopperud and Strand. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Elin B Strand
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