Finding a way forward for mental wellbeing

Mental health is priority area for the UK government. Important strides have been made in understanding recovery from mental health problems but research on this topic often focuses on improving services for recovery. There is no universal definition of recovery in the field of mental health.

However, evidence is growing about the benefits of recovery-oriented services and practices. There are significant strides also in involving users of mental health services and their carers in undertaking research in mental health in particular in relation to understanding recovery. This study was coproduced from a partnership between mental health service users and carers and academics and clinicians.

The aim is to use a mixed method approach to explore key themes around how to live well with mental illness, and what recovery might look like. An additional aim is to explicitly explore the challenges and benefits of service users and carer researchers in undertaking such work.

We propose a series of work packages including a survey, qualitative interviews and focus groups with service users and carers, and an in-depth 360 case study (qualitative interviews with friends, family and care staff and service user). We will also record service user and carer experiences as researchers.  All data collection and analysis will be undertaken by service user and carer researchers with support from project team.

Our findings will be disseminated locally and nationally through conference presentations and publications and are expected to lead to a programme of related research coproduced between service users and carers, and academics and clinician.