We have some wonderful news – for you and also for the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care. We have received confirmation that one of our friends and philanthropic partners has stepped forward with a $400,000 Matching Gift Challenge between today and Oct 31!
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Learn more and support the Hearing Voices Research & Development Fund.
Read MoreThere is an increasing amount of interest in Open Dialogue around the world. OD training programs currently are offered in the UK, USA, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Australia, Japan, etc. and a considerable amount of research being done in the wake of these training programs. The largest-ever RCT of Open Dialogue, the ODDESSI-trial (Open Dialogue: Development and Evaluation of a Social Network Intervention for Severe Mental Illness), is in its second year.
This year (2019), the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care has funded the HOPEnDialogue research project. The purpose of the project is to promote and assess the fidelity of Open Dialogue practice and evaluate its effectiveness internationally and is inspired by and linked to the ODDESSI trial. HOPEnDialogue is coordinated by the Italian National Research Council and involve an international Advisory Board of twenty OD experts.
Read MoreOn July 2 and 3, 2019, I was privileged to attend the first meeting of the HOPEnDialogue International Research Collaborative in Rome. I attended as a representative of the Board of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care, along with the Foundation’s President and CEO, Gina Nikkel, and the Foundation’s new Chief Philanthropy Officer, Kevin Aspegren.
The meeting was hosted by the leaders of the project, Raffaella Pocobello and Giuseppe Salamina, and brought together forty representatives from 12 countries, first in an open forum to discuss the goals and overarching strategy of the project, and a second day for the 20 international members of the Advisory Council to address more focused challenges, such as site selection requirements; inclusion/exclusion criteria; training; fidelity; and outcomes.
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HOPEnDialogue: An International collaborative multicentre research to support the Open Dialogue Learning Community and evaluate the effectiveness of Open Dialogue in various mental health care contexts around the world
This year (2019), the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care has funded the HOPEnDialogue research project to promote and assess the fidelity of Open Dialogue practice and evaluate its effectiveness internationally. HOPEnDialogue, coordinated by the Italian National Research Council, is inspired by and linked to the ODDESSI-study, the first randomized trial of Open Dialogue, ongoing in the UK.
An International Advisory Board involving different stakeholders such as researchers, peer supporters, family members, trainers, Open Dialogue professionals, and experts in public health from eight different countries will contribute to the development of the project and promote its sustainability.
Read MoreBANGOR, Maine – A cutting edge study on the effect of micronutrients as a supporting treatment for bipolar disorder is currently underway in Bangor, Maine, led by Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, at Northern Light Family Medicine and Residency.
“The purpose of this trial is to determine whether a 36-ingredient micronutrient supplement (primarily vitamins and minerals) and fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid) supplement improves nutritional status and allows lower doses of conventional medications to be effective for bipolar disorder with fewer side effects, when studied under randomized and fully blinded conditions and compared to a placebo.
A follow-up open label phase will allow all participants, including those previously taking the placebo, to try the active micronutrient treatment for an additional twelve months.
The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a micronutrient supplement + fish oil compared with placebo. To achieve this, the study needs a total of one hundred subjects who complete the first twelve months of the study. The prevalence of this disorder in the general population is only 3% and it has been difficult to recruit sufficient subjects. Researchers need to recruit and enroll an additional fifty people in the study. All participants must live in the vicinity of Bangor, Maine. Those interested in enrolling in the study should contact Edwina at 207.973.9013.
Once the study participants complete the first twelve months of the randomized study they will transition onto the open label phase of the study. This is less intensive but will still involve quarterly check in, data collected and the micronutrient supplement + fish oil dispensed to participants by the researchers.
Our hypothesis is the micronutrients and fish oil improves nutritional status and as we do not know the nutritional baseline of participants at the start the study, the longer we can follow the participants the better we will be able to understand the impact of taking this dose of vitamins over time. To achieve this we will need an additional $25,000 so the participants can check in quarterly, the data collected and the analysis completed.
The study was first made possible by a generous donor to Dr. Bonnie Kaplan’s Nutrition & Mental Health Research Fund at the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care.
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The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care would like to congratulate the research team coordinated by Drs. Raffaella Pocobello (ISTC-CNR) and Giuseppe Salamina (ASL-TO) who will conduct the Expanding the Science and Practice of Open Dialogue: An international collaborative multicenter research project to evaluate the effectiveness of Open Dialogue in various mental health care contexts around the world.
The Open Dialogue approach to early psychosis is contrasted to the standard practice of immediate diagnosis and prescribing antipsychotic medication for people experiencing early psychosis. While Open Dialogue is growing in practice around the world and shows great promise, studies worldwide are limited and lack systematic application across settings.
This new project, based on an international collaborative process, will produce consistent documentation of Open Dialogue practices across study sites and further our understanding of the challenges and successes of improving the quality of Open Dialogue practice, in particular, how Open Dialogue practices can be advanced in such a way that they are implemented with fidelity to the evidence as they are adapted for local contexts and cultures.
This grant will fund the preparatory phase (year 1) of a three-part work plan. Funds are currently being raised to support year two’s pilot phase and the subsequent main study phase.
Basic Tenets of Open Dialogue
Open Dialogue is one of the most promising approaches for mental health care. It is a family/personal network approach based on the following principles:
EXCELLENCE is an international mental health community foundation which matches private philanthropy to independent research projects and innovative programs that lead to recovery. Our team of donors and volunteers embodies a rich diversity of knowledge and expertise including people with lived experience of our current system of care, family members, psychiatrists and other clinical professionals, researchers, and philanthropists. EXCELLENCE strives to nurture scientific excellence and innovation in mental health research and program support by supporting scientific rigor, trauma-informed care, informed consent, peer support and recovery-based initiatives.
Principle investigators can be reached at Guiseppe Salamina [email protected] and Raffaella Pocobello [email protected].
Read MoreProject Aims
Called “Voices for Choices”, this project aimed to create free and accessible training resources for individuals to advocate for themselves or a loved one at risk for involuntary treatment and for individuals and communities to advocate for system change; to increase advocates’ ability to connect and organize potential allies, and to measurably increase participants’ sense of empowerment as effective agents of change at the community level and with legislators and government agencies. These resources include videos, a handbook and one-on-one mentorship.
Outcomes
The first and unexpected outcome of the grant award was a major donation from an individual inspired by the project. That donation significantly improved MindFreedom’s infrastructure, including staff, capacity for volunteer coordination, and a website revamp.
The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care is pleased to announce this funding opportunity, Expanding the Science and Practice of Open Dialogue: An international collaborative multicenter research project to evaluate the effectiveness of Open Dialogue in various mental health care contexts around the world. This funding opportunity provides for one multi-year award to a single eligible applicant, with the possibility to be renewed annually.
Purpose of award: The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care (EXCELLENCE) is interested in funding a visionary, international research project that will lead to consistent documentation of Open Dialogue practices across study sites, as well as understanding challenges and successes to improve the quality of Open Dialogue practice. Applicants should propose to evaluate Open Dialogue practices in countries including those outside the United States, and be prepared to work with EXCELLENCE to advance our understanding of how Open Dialogue practices can be advanced in such a way that they are implemented with fidelity to the evidence while also being adapted for local contexts and cultures. The Open Dialogue approach to early psychosis is contrasted to the standard practice of immediate diagnosis and prescribing antipsychotic medication for people experiencing early psychosis. While Open Dialogue is growing in practice around the world and shows immense promise, studies worldwide are limited and lack systematic application across settings.
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