Shared decision making interventions for people with mental health conditions

Mental health conditions are common and can have serious consequences for both affected individuals and society. Current clinical guidance encourages mental healthcare practitioners to involve patients in treatment decisions. This is advocated on the basis that people have a right to self-determination and also in the expectation that it will increase treatment adherence.

We conducted thorough searches for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-randomised controlled trials (q-RCTs), controlled before-and-after studies (CBAs); and interrupted time series (ITS) studies of interventions to increase shared decision making in people with mental health conditions. We found two studies that met the inclusion criteria. Both studies were of good quality and made attempts to reduce potential sources of bias.