[User involvement in mental health services research].

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Services Research
• Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
• Health Services Research

Background:

• User involvement in mental health services research is established in Great Britain, with numerous user-led initiatives.
• In contrast, Germany shows minimal attention and virtually no comparable initiatives regarding user involvement in this field.
• This disparity highlights a gap in the adoption of user-centered research methodologies across different European contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and explore the concept of user involvement in mental health services research.
• To discuss the theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of implementing user involvement.
• To illustrate the practicability of user involvement using examples from Great Britain.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to define and contextualize user involvement.
• Theoretical and methodological analysis of user involvement principles.
• Case study illustrations of user-led research in British mental health services.

Main Results:

• User involvement can foster user-focused mental health services and empower service users.
• It has the potential to improve the quality and relevance of mental health services research.
• User-led studies often concentrate on mental health service assessment, though challenges like representativeness and user expertise exist.

Conclusions:

• User involvement in mental health services research offers significant potential for service improvement and user empowerment.
• Despite challenges, the concept is expected to gain importance in the field.
• Further research is necessary to quantify the specific benefits of user involvement in mental health research.