Working With People With Experience of Psychosis to Co-Design an Educational and Anti-Stigma Psychosis Intervention...

Psychosis is a particularly stigmatised condition in adolescent populations, with prevalent stigmatising beliefs surrounding it including negative stereotypes around dangerousness, unpredictability and chronicity. Additionally, the first episodes of psychosis increase significantly during late adolescence, and there is a lack of understanding and recognition of psychosis in young people. Given these factors, psychosis appears to be an important topic for mental health literacy and anti-stigma programmes. However, there is a lack of consensus surrounding the best way to construct psychosis anti-stigma interventions for young people. Voices of people with experience of psychosis seem crucial in this regard, but their experiences of stigma and discrimination are rarely heard. By including their perspectives along with those of other stakeholders, we aim to ensure that we gain a better, more balanced perspective on how to talk about psychosis with young people.

This study reports on the co-design process of a psychosis anti-stigma educational intervention for young people using the short-form Guidance for Reporting Involvement of Patients and the Public (GRIPP-2) checklist as a guiding framework. Six workshops were held over 3 months, with experts with experience of psychosis working with clinicians and academics. These workshops explored the differing views of these groups on how we understand, talk about and perceive psychosis.

This process resulted in an educational module named 'Reality and Psychosis', which we believe will prove effective in not only educating but also diminishing stigma surrounding psychosis among young people.

By incorporating various perspectives, we hope to provide a well-rounded and balanced approach to addressing the complexities of discussing psychosis with young people. The GRIPP-2 checklist also proved to be a useful framework for assisting the reporting process.

Individuals with lived experience of psychosis participated throughout the co-design process. Specifically, they contributed to the six workshops by sharing their personal experiences of stigma, discrimination and recovery, which informed the development of the educational module. This helped ensure the voices of those directly affected by psychosis were authentically represented.