What’s the project?
Rosie Meers, a trainee clinical psychologist based at the University of East London, in her research is exploring how people aged 18-35 have made sense of being diagnosed with psychosis and prescribed antipsychotic medication during childhood or adolescence. It focuses on what that time was like for you as a young person and how you understood what was happening, how others responded, and how involved you felt in decisions being made about you.
This project also aims to understand your experience in the wider context of your life. It considers how diagnosis and antipsychotic medication may have affected you, but also how your age, gender, sexuality, cultural background, relationships, and the social context around you shaped your experience – both at the time and in hindsight.
Some people have found diagnosis or medication helpful, and others haven’t. Some felt included in decisions; others didn’t. These experiences can have an impact on how young people have felt understood and listened to, and on their relationships with services and others around them.
This research aims to explore the factors that contribute to those differences – what helps, what gets in the way, and what needs to be considered or encouraged when decisions about diagnosis and treatment are made with young people.
Young people’s voices are often missing in this area of research. The goal is to contribute to a stronger evidence base that centres their perspectives on diagnosis and treatment, and better reflects the needs and realities of young people that have been described as experiencing psychosis.
Findings from this study may be used to inform future clinical guidance on the use of diagnosis and antipsychotic medication with young people.
The study has received ethical approval from the University of East London’s Research Ethics Committee and is supervised by Professor John Read.
Find out more
Rosie is inviting people to share their experiences in a one-to-one confidential conversation (up to 1 hour). This can take place online (via Microsoft Teams) or in person at the University of East London in Stratford.
Before this, you’ll be asked to complete a short online survey (2-3 minutes) to check your eligibility and understand more about the range of people taking part.
It’s an opportunity to share your story, in your own words – anything that felt important to you at the time, and how you’ve reflected on it since. Whether your experience was positive, negative, or mixed, sharing it can offer valuable insight into what makes a difference. It can also be a chance to advocate for your younger self – and to help shape how others are supported in future.
To take part, you need to:
- Be aged 18 to 35
- Have had contact with CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)
- Have been diagnosed with psychosis, bipolar disorder, personality disorder with psychotic features, or told you were ‘at risk’ of psychosis before the age of 18 (if you were not ‘formally’ diagnosed). If you were diagnosed with more than one thing, that’s ok too.
- Have been prescribed antipsychotic medication before the age of 18 (even if you didn’t take it).
Everyone who takes part will be offered a £10 Amazon voucher to thank them for their time. What you choose to share is entirely up to you – this won’t affect your payment or participation in any way.
You’ll be given a full study information sheet before deciding whether to take part, and there will be space to ask any questions. You can change your mind and withdraw at any time, for any reason or no reason at all.
Rosie, a trainee clinical psychologist, is experienced in having these kinds of conversations and will check in with you throughout to help you feel comfortable, supported, and safe. You’re welcome to take breaks, pause, or stop at any time.
If you’d like, Rosie can also offer time afterwards to think together about anything that’s come up, and she can share details of organisations or resources that might feel helpful for you.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please email Rosie Meers at[email protected] with brief answers to the following questions:
- What is your name?
- What is your date of birth?
- Are you based in the UK?
- Why are you interested in this specific opportunity?
- Please give details of any relevant experience of psychosis, bipolar disorder, and antipsychotic medication
- Sometimes after talking about topics like mental health, people feel they need a little extra support or someone to chat to. What support do you currently have in place (e.g. supportive friends, family, health professionals or mental health charities)? Is there anything that Rosie could do to support you or make your involvement experience better?
- How did you hear about this opportunity?
You are welcome to send your responses in audio or video format if preferred. If you need any help completing your expression of interest, you can get in touch with Rosie Meers [email protected]
February 2026
Please note that the McPin Foundation regularly promotes opportunities on behalf of other institutions; we are not responsible for the continuation or contents of further correspondence with any project partners where we are not listed as the project main point of contact.
