Allyship in Psychiatric and Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review and Thematic Analysis

Psychiatric and mental health services have been increasingly scrutinized for sustaining coercive and epistemically unjust practices. Allyship, conceptualized as a commitment to power redistribution, has emerged as a strategy to address such injustices.

The aim of this study is to map the literature and current state of knowledge regarding allyship in psychiatry and mental health.

A scoping review was carried out. Tirthy-four (n = 34) reports were subjected to a descriptive and thematic analysis.

The analysis of the literature identifies four interrelated and complementary themes characterizing allyship: (1) the scope of allyship in mental health, (2) its general principles, (3) the qualities expressed by allies and (4) their repertoire of actions.

Reviewed studies depict allies as reflexive agents aware of their privilege and advocating for patients. However, findings reveal ethical tensions between performative and effective allyship, with risks of reinforcing paternalistic structures rather than dismantling them.

The results highlight the ethical responsibility of psychiatric and mental health professionals to resist mere symbolic or performative allyship.

This synthesis underscores the ethical imperative to anchor allyship in principles of social justice, epistemic humility, and mutual emancipation.

Allyship has been the subject of significant debate in psychiatric nursing. The results of this review inform nursing practice by identifying the principles, qualities, and defining actions of individuals who seek to become and act as allies. The findings presented also outline avenues for action aimed at adapting educational curricula to incorporate key dimensions of allyship, including the recognition of privilege, the redistribution of power, and epistemic humility. Finally, this scoping review serves as a caution against the uncritical use of the ally concept, to avoid the erasure of its political foundations.