Treatment involving patient's family cuts mental health hospital admissions, study finds
Involving a patient's family and friends as part of a new approach to mental health treatment makes it three times less likely they will be admitted to psychiatric hospital, research has found. Patients rated their recovery and quality of life more highly than those who were treated in the traditional way, the study also found.
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Thu, 27 August 2026 · 2 min read
Involving a patient's family and friends as part of a new approach to mental health treatment makes it three times less likely they will be admitted to psychiatric hospital, research has found. Patients rated their recovery and quality of life more highly than those who were treated in the traditional way, the study also found.
It is the first major study of Open Dialogue, a way of providing treatment and organising mental health services that focuses on the patient's priorities, seeing the same clinicians, and involving people close to them. The trial, conducted across five NHS trust areas, found that while Open Dialogue did not prevent patients from suffering relapses, it significantly reduced the need for psychiatric hospitalization and shortened hospital stays when admission was necessary.
For one patient, Nihad Fathi, the approach proved transformative after he felt his life spiral out of control during the Covid pandemic. "It was so much pressure, stress," he said. "I contemplated ending my life." His wife Farah described the terror of watching him struggle: "At that stage, I didn't know what to do."
Open Dialogue sessions involve "network meetings" where the patient meets with two clinicians along with friends, family, neighbours, or colleagues. These meetings allow free-flowing conversation about the patient's feelings, desired support, and observations from their network about their wellbeing and their own feelings.
Dr Bill Travers, a consultant psychiatrist involved in the trial, explained: "It enables you to reach a much firmer and deeper understanding of the underlying reasons for the problems and indeed to seek solutions that come very much from the person and their family." The study, led by University College London, involved 500 patients in crisis, split between Open Dialogue and treatment as usual.
While there was no significant difference in relapse rates between the groups, patients receiving Open Dialogue needed psychiatric hospital admission three times less frequently. When admission was required, their average hospital stay was half that of the control group. Patients also reported improved wellbeing and recovery perceptions.
Dr Russell Razzaque, the clinical lead on the trial, noted the potential systemic impact: "There's a substantial reduction in cost because you're not spending all the money on inpatient beds, which are the most expensive part of the system. So yes, you might be spending a bit more time in the community, but that is what the NHS wants."
However, some experts urge caution. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Sameer Jauhar suggested the benefits might stem from extra resources rather than the Open Dialogue method itself: "The important question is whether the distinctive, resource-intensive elements of Open Dialogue itself add benefit beyond good, adequately staffed community care. On the evidence of this trial, that question remains unresolved."
For Farah, though, the approach was clearly effective: "It needs somebody to hear him, somebody to understand him, how he feels, what he's trying to even to achieve. They are helping him and then he sees a better picture."
**Sources:** BBC
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