An Exploratory Study of Research Needed for the Improvement of Care and Services for Persons with a Lived Experience of Mental Health Challenges

Individuals with a lived experience are increasingly being included in the design of mental health services research. Obtaining perspectives of persons with a lived experience of mental health challenges on research that is important to them is an opportunity to achieve equity in allocating resources so that policy-makers and health research funders are made aware of the issues that matter to people who are affected by research. The purpose of this study is to explore lived experience perspectives on research needed for the improvement of care and services for persons with mental health challenges in order to improve the quality of care and service delivery. This qualitative study was conducted in Australia and was informed by biographical research and interpretive phenomenological analysis [IPA]. Twenty-one participants were interviewed for the study. The theme, 'Access to care and early detection' included eight categories. The theme, 'Care and treatment', included fifteen categories. The theme, Continuity of care', included six categories. Research questions were developed for each category and serve as a first step towards initiating research on the identified topics. Research topics identified in this study were categorized as insufficiently researched, emerging areas of interest, or well researched with insufficient translation into practice.