An overview of concept mapping in Dutch mental health care

•The experience of 25 years of concept mapping covers a broad diversity of mental health care topics.•Ninety concept mapping projects are grouped in five periods and into five typologies.•Concept mapping proved to be a creative, effective, and efficient strategy for clarifying complex topics.•The focus of concept mapping projects is in the period of 2010–2014 on research topics.•A network of experts is needed to enhance methodological quality and to promote concept mapping in Europe. About 25 years ago, concept mapping was introduced in the Netherlands and applied in different fields. A collection of concept mapping projects conducted in the Netherlands was identified, in part in the archive of the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos Institute). Some of the 90 identified projects are internationally published. The 90 concept mapping projects reflect the changes in mental health care and can be grouped into 5-year periods and into five typologies. The studies range from conceptualizing the problems of the homeless to the specification of quality indicators for treatment programs for patients with cystic fibrosis. The number of concept mapping projects has varied over time. Growth has been considerable in the last 5 years compared to the previous 5 years. Three case studies are described in detail with 12 characteristics and graphical representations. Concept mapping aligns well with the typical Dutch approach of the “Poldermodel.” A broad introduction of concept mapping in European countries in cooperation with other countries, such as the United States and Canada, would strengthen the empirical basis for applying this approach in health care policy, quality, and clinical work.