Research project More than mere storage: The effects of structured conversations in psychiatric care
How many hours a day does a patient in inpatient psychiatric care spend in real, meaningful contact with staff or in planned activities? Research suggests a bleak figure: often less than one hour.
Instead, the time risks being filled with waiting, loneliness, and the feeling that the ward is merely storing rather than helping. This not only creates frustration and anxiety but also complicates recovery. Both patients and staff therefore call for more meaningful and structured conversations as part of daily care.
This is where our research project comes in. Funded by Region Stockholm, and in collaboration with the Centre for Psychiatry Research, we aim to investigate how a manual-based conversational intervention, grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can create a more active and treatment-oriented environment in inpatient psychiatric wards.
The goal is to provide patients with concrete tools to handle difficult thoughts and emotions, help them rediscover what is important in their lives, and support them in participating in meaningful activities—both inside and outside the care setting.
Project description
The project consists of three parts:
- A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 209 patients: Here we compare the effect of structured CBT-based conversations with standard care. Can these conversations reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, increase patient involvement, and improve overall well-being?
- A qualitative study with patient interviews: How do patients themselves experience the conversations? Do they feel meaningful, do they create hope, and do they facilitate better contact with the care staff?
- A qualitative study with staff interviews: We ask the care staff how they experience working with this conversational model. Is it a useful tool in a hectic healthcare environment? Do they see positive changes in their patients?
If the results are positive, the project could contribute to changing the care environment so that patients feel more seen, supported, and active in their own recovery. For the staff, it could mean a more meaningful way of working, which in turn can improve care quality and reduce the risk of readmissions.
This project is an important step towards more meaningful and treatment-focused inpatient psychiatric care – one step closer to an environment where patients are not merely stored, but given the tools and structure they need to begin or continue on their path to better mental health.
Project members
Project managers
Per Carlbring
Professor
Members
Cecilia Crona
Specialist Nurse in Psychiatry
Johan Holmberg
MD, lic. psychologist, lic. psychotherapist
Tobias Lundgren
Associate Profesor, Lic. psychologist, Lic. psychotherapist
Sigrid Salomonsson
MD, Psychologist, Researcher
Maria Skott
MD
Mårten Tyrberg
Postdoc, Psychologist