scholarly journals Power and Participation: An Examination of the Dynamics of Mental Health Service-User Involvement in Ireland

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Brosnan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Service User Involvement ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Mental Health Service User ◽  
Current Context

In this paper we set out the context in which experiences of mental distress occur with an emphasis on the contributions of social and structural factors and then make a case for the use of intersectionality as an analytic and methodological framework for understanding these factors. We then turn to the political urgency for taking up the concept of recovery and argue for the importance of research and practice that addresses professional domination of the field, and that promotes ongoing engagement and dialogue about recovery as both a personal and social experience. To this end, we describe a unique project that sought to deepen our understanding of how recovery is being thought about and applied in the current context of mental health care in Vancouver, BC, with a specific focus on how, and whether, people are taking up and addressing dimensions of power that we see as critical to the operationalization of recovery within a social justice framework. Emerging from our research and discussion is a set of critical questions about whether or not the political moment in Canada with respect to re-invigorating recovery should be embraced, versus a rejection of the concept of recovery as too limiting in its scope and too vulnerable to professional co-optation. 

scholarly journals Towards a Social Justice Framework of Mental Health Recovery

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Morrow ◽  
Julia Weisser
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Mental Health Recovery ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Current Context

In this paper we set out the context in which experiences of mental distress occur with an emphasis on the contributions of social and structural factors and then make a case for the use of intersectionality as an analytic and methodological framework for understanding these factors. We then turn to the political urgency for taking up the concept of recovery and argue for the importance of research and practice that addresses professional domination of the field, and that promotes ongoing engagement and dialogue about recovery as both a personal and social experience. To this end, we describe a unique project that sought to deepen our understanding of how recovery is being thought about and applied in the current context of mental health care in Vancouver, BC, with a specific focus on how, and whether, people are taking up and addressing dimensions of power that we see as critical to the operationalization of recovery within a social justice framework. Emerging from our research and discussion is a set of critical questions about whether or not the political moment in Canada with respect to re-invigorating recovery should be embraced, versus a rejection of the concept of recovery as too limiting in its scope and too vulnerable to professional co-optation. 

scholarly journals Participatory action research to pilot a model of mental health service user involvement in an Ethiopian rural primary healthcare setting: study protocol

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sisay Abayneh ◽  
Heidi Lempp ◽  
Charlotte Hanlon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Service User ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Health System Strengthening ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Service User Involvement ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Mental Health Service User

Abstract Background Involvement of service-users at all levels of the mental health system is a policy imperative in many countries internationally. However, putting policy into practice seems complex; little is known about how best to involve service users and efforts are often criticized for being tokenistic. In low-and-middle income countries, less attention has been given to the roles of service users within mental health systems. The proposed study is part of a larger project intended to develop service-user involvement in mental health system strengthening in Ethiopia. A Theory of Change (ToC) model has already been developed through a participatory approach. This study protocol aims to describe the theoretical background and methods to pilot this model using participatory action research (PAR) and explore participants’ experience of involvement. Methods The proposed study will apply a PAR approach situated in critical social theory and conduct a phenomenological case study to find out participants’ experience of involvement. This will be conducted in three stages. The focus of Stage 1 will be to(i) establish a Research Advisory Group (RAG), and Research Participant Group (RPG) at district and primary healthcare facility levels, respectively, and (ii) identify and prioritize potential areas of concern for involvement in the domains of advocacy, service planning and development, monitoring and improving service quality. In Stage 2, we will work with the RPG to develop a plan of action for the selected area. Stage 3 will aim to assist the RPG to implement and evaluate the plan of action. Process indicators and observation will be combined with in-depth interviews with participants to elicit their experiences of involvement. Thematic content analysis will be used. Discussion The participatory approach to mental health service user involvement in health system strengthening employed by this study will support the implementation of solutions through locally relevant and contextualized actions. Findings from this study will contribute to the body of knowledge towards understanding the complexity of implementation of service user involvement and refine the ToC model for transferability to similar settings.

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