Where in Norway, for example, people should be able to opt for treatment without drugs, that choice is not offered in the Netherlands when it comes to psychoses. When people are psychotic, they are given drugs. According to Van Os, this is remarkable, because many people with psychosis are competent and can therefore make an autonomous decision about treatment.
Dealing with psychosis
Dutch healthcare providers see psychoses as a brain disease that must be treated with medication. According to them, medication suppresses the psychosis. Van Os says that in the long term people can learn to cope with their psychoses well. Medication also causes side effects and it is difficult to get people off it. Of course there are serious cases of psychosis and medication remains important.
National Psychosedebat
Van Os is of the opinion that the Netherlands is insufficiently educated to offer treatment without medication. Next week, the National Psychosis Debate will take place during a conference, where Dutch and Norwegian psychiatrists will share their knowledge in the field of drug-free treatment. The professor hopes that this will allow doctors to look beyond the medical guidelines alone and that a turning point will come regarding drug-free treatment.
By: Nationale Zorggids
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