ArticleThe International journal of social psychiatry2026
Are People Worse Off in a Mental Health Treatment Paradigm Where Medication Is Deemphasised? A Naturalistic Noninferiority Trial of an Initiative to Improve Patient Choice.
Article in The International journal of social psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03499080 (Medication Free Treatment), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Medication Free Treatment: Characteristics, Justification and Outcome
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- "Something is clashing" - intentions to offer Medication-Free services within a traditional mental health ward.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNorwegian health authorities have established dedicated units for medication-free mental health treatment (MFT) to enhance patient choice. These services place greater emphasis on psychosocial and psychotherapeutic interventions than traditional care. They aim to be free from coercion and pressure regarding medication, rather than totally absent of medication.
aimsThis study evaluates whether outcomes for patients receiving MFT are noninferior to those receiving treatment as usual (TAU).
methodA noninferiority analysis was conducted using the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2 (OQ-45.2) to assess changes from admission to discharge. Two datasets were analysed: a smaller research sample with repeated measures and two comparison units (Sample R; n = 59 + 124), and a larger quality register sample with single-measure data and one comparison unit (Sample Q;
resultsParticipants in both treatment conditions showed substantial improvement. In Sample R, changes between groups were not statistically significant, and the noninferiority analysis was inconclusive. In Sample Q, intention-to-treat analyses indicated superiority for MFT, while sensitivity analyses excluding dropouts supported noninferiority.
conclusionsFindings suggest that MFT is not associated with inferior short-term treatment outcomes in the population currently receiving this care. These results may reassure clinicians and policymakers in supporting patient choice and may assist patients in selecting their preferred treatment approach.This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03499080), date 17/04/2018.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.