Measuring consumer participation in mental health services: are attitudes related to professional orientation?

This study describes the development of the Consumer Participation Questionnaire to measure consumer involvement in the planning, management and evaluation of mental health services, and the attitudes of mental health workers towards consumer participation. Results indicate that while most professionals view the concept positively, progress may be occurring faster at the level of individual treatment than at the organisational level. Professionals with a more biological (as opposed to psychosocial) orientation were less likely to predict that services would improve if consumers were involved in the planning of services or were employed therein. Recommendations to facilitate more effective consumer participation are made, including the need for the value of a collaborative approach to be emphasised in professional training programmes.