Turning towards recovery in forensic psychiatric inpatients-a study based on staff experience

Many individuals sentenced to forensic psychiatric care fail in the rehabilitation process, resulting in long-term inpatient hospital care. The concepts of turning points and treatment readiness in forensic settings should therefore be afforded more attention. Much can be learned from the features that characterize trajectories of recovery and processes related to turning points. The aim of this study was to explore forensic nursing staff's experiences of forensic psychiatric patients' turning towards recovery. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyse interviews with 13 forensic psychiatric nursing staff. Analysis of the data revealed two main themes with implications for clinical practice: promoting a turning point and recognizing a turning point. In the first of these, the emphasis was on actions and conditions that must exist to promote a turning. In the second, the main experiences related to recognizing a turning point were stories about visible and perceptible changes in the patient. The experiences that stood out most distinctly were those of being able to wait out the patient, and having patience when there was a lack of progression. The composition of staff and patients contributed to whether or not the environment was perceived as salutary