There are many unanswered questions about the process of reducing and stopping psychiatric medicines (commonly referred to as 'tapering') and how best to do it. We think that it is important that future research focuses on the questions that are important to people with lived experience of taking and/or stopping any of these medicines, family members, carers/supporters and healthcare professionals.
The PROTECT study team, in partnership with the James Lind
Alliance, has set up this priority setting partnership to identify the Top 10
priorities for future research about reducing and stopping psychiatric medicines.
This study could help to change the research agenda which will allow future research to focus on the
most important questions.
For more information about the James Lind Alliance and the methods we are
using, go to https://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/
In the Round 1 survey, we collected questions and uncertainties that people have about reducing and stopping psychiatric medicines. These people included individuals with lived experience of taking and/or stopping psychiatric medicines, family members, carers/supporters, and healthcare professionals. Then, through a process of analysis and consultation with the project’s Steering Group we have come up with 32 potential research questions.
In the Round 2 survey, we asked respondents to select up to 10 questions from the shortlist of 32 questions that they thought were the most important for future research. The results of this survey were then discussed at a final prioritisation workshop that was run as a one-day hybrid event in Trinity College Dublin at the end of October 2023. Workshop attendees were made up of 30 individuals with lived experience of taking and/or stopping psychiatric medicines, family members, carers/supporters, and healthcare professionals. This workshop led to the development of a Top 10 list of priorities for future research on
reducing and stopping psychiatric medicines.
We are currently writing up our findings and look forward to sharing them in 2024.
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