The NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mission Capacity Development workstream and charity partner MQ Mental Health Research are working together to demystify Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in mental health and widen access to involvement.
The MH-TRC Mission and MQ Mental Health Research have been working together to raise the visibility of PPIE opportunities. Jordan Lees, MH-TRC Mission lived experience expert and research volunteer, featured on the charity’s MQ Open Mind Podcast and Many Questions Show. Jordan shared honest reflections on what it’s like to be a participant in a mental health clinical trial and practical advice on how to get involved in studies.
Craig Perryman, Senior Digital Content Producer at MQ Mental Health Research said:
“Working alongside the Capacity Development workstream has been extremely rewarding and has helped strengthen our PPIE outreach. From the MQ Open Mind Podcast to our Many Questions show, we have been able to bring lived experience voices into conversations that matter.”
MQ Mental Health Research also supported with the facilitation of a PPIE focus group of 10 people with lived experience on mental health conditions who have taken part in trials or studies.
The focus group, led by MH-TRC Mission Capacity Development workstream Programme Manager Dr Aiste Adomaviciene, aimed to understand barriers and incentives for patient involvement in mental health research and explore participants’ perspectives on private and public sector research delivery settings. The findings of this research were published in the journal Brain.
Dr Adomaviciene said: “Thank you to MQ Mental Health Research for their fantastic partnership and the important work we have achieved together.
“Our collaboration has helped challenge stigma and misconceptions around mental health clinical trials, while bringing the patient voice into the heart of conversations about research participation.
“By sharing practical advice and lived experience, we have helped people better understand what taking part in a clinical trial involves and how they can get involved.
“This partnership has been an important step towards making mental health research more accessible, inclusive, and trusted.”
Dr Lesley Booth, MH-TRC Mission PPIEP Lead Coordinator said:
“Evidence has shown that charity-supported research capacity building helps us sustain patient and public involvement over time.
“Charities not only support engagement in the moment but help build the conditions for longer-term involvement.
“Together with supporters and a global network of scientists, MQ Mental Health Research works to create a world where mental illness is understood, effectively treated and ultimately prevented”.
Read more about the MH-TRC Mission Capacity Development workstream.
