Introducing narrative practices in a locked, inpatient psychiatric unit

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy Research
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Narrative approaches to psychotherapy are gaining global recognition.
• The study explored the utility of narrative-oriented psychotherapy in a locked, inpatient psychiatric setting.
• The focus was on involuntarily admitted patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a narrative psychotherapy group for involuntary inpatient psychiatric patients.
• To help patients construct a coherent narrative of their hospitalization and post-discharge plans.
• To reduce the likelihood of hospital readmission within one year.

Main Methods:

• A daily, one-hour narrative group was implemented on a locked adult psychiatric unit.
• Quality-improvement procedures using the BASIS-32 (Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale) were employed for outcome assessment.
• Unit outcomes were compared for four quarters pre-intervention and four months post-intervention.

Main Results:

• The unit with the narrative group showed a statistically significant mean improvement of 2.8 units in BASIS-32 scores (p < 0.0001).
• Control units demonstrated a mean improvement of only 1.0 unit.
• No pre-intervention differences or concurrent changes accounted for the observed improvement.

Conclusions:

• Daily narrative groups can positively impact outcomes on locked inpatient psychiatric units.
• This intervention may provide cognitive structure, aiding patients in understanding their experiences.
• Further investigation via randomized controlled trials is recommended.