Open Dialogue(OD)is an integrated approach to schizophrenia that has been developed and practiced in Finland since the 1980s. Currently, in Tornio, Western Lapland, the birthplace of OD, it is practiced not only for schizophrenia but also for all kinds of mental disorders, with good results.
 In OD, upon receiving a request from a client or his/her family by phone or other means, the therapist organizes a treatment team of several professionals to visit the client's home within 24 hours. The team will engage in a dialogical meeting with the client and his/her network (family, friends, and acquaintances, and other relevant persons). One important principle is "the clients' matters are never discussed behind their backs". There are seven other principles, including: "immediate help", "flexibility and mobility", "psychological continuity", and "tolerance of uncertainty". "Reflecting" (in which experts exchange opinions in front of the client) also occupies an important place in OD.
 The most influential current evidence for OD is the report by Bergström et al. Data were obtained from Finnish national registers regarding all OD patients whose treatment for first-episode psychosis (FEP) commenced within the time-frame of the original interventions (total N=108). The control group consisted of all Finnish FEP patients with a follow-up of 19-20 years and who were guided to other Finnish specialized mental healthcare facilities (N=1,763). Over the entire follow-up, the data regarding durations of hospital treatment, disability allowances, and need for neuroleptics remained significantly lower in the OD group. On the other hand, however, some have pointed out that traditional OD studies have problems, including bias involving developers, sample size, outcome selection and measurement methods, and lack of random assignment.
 OD has received a high level of international attention and is being introduced, particularly in Western countries. This paper introduces a large-scale RCT (ODDESSI) in the U. K., as well as implementation in Germany, Italy, the U. S., and Japan. Further accumulation of evidence is expected in the future, and the "new humanism" of OD, which focuses on care rather than treatment, is also expected to be further deepened and developed.
 Authors' abstract