‘How do subjective experiences of mental health issues feature in research?’ is one of the key questions the SUN RISE project aimed to answer.
The SUN RISE (Searching, Unpacking, Naming: Research Into Subjective Experiences in mental health) study explored how research into the subjective experiences of depression, anxiety and psychosis is conducted and valued globally within the mental health research field. The summary report is now available.
The team, led by McPin with the Institute for Medical Humanities at Durham University and independent survivor research, Alison Faulkner, took a broad view of the term ‘subjective experience’. They started from the understanding that it encompasses the many ways individuals and groups interpret and experience the world they live in.
Through five methods of enquiry led by lived experience researchers, from semi-structured interviews to a participatory Q-sort study, the team concluded that learning from subjective experiences in mental health research is not an optional extra. It is central to making science that is valid, ethical, and impactful.
Emerging themes from the report
- The study of subjective experiences is valued by the mental health research community
- This work needs further methodological development
- The study of subjective experience is conceptually and methodologically distinct from research involvement and engagement approaches, including Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
- There is a need for greater diversity in who undertakes this work and from what global perspective
- Mental health research benefits from interdisciplinary work and knowledge exchange
- Research systems must address barriers to the study of subjective experiences and recognise its critical role in understanding mental health and interventions.
What’s next?
The report pulls out four strategies to boost engagement with the study of subjective experiences in a research context (see page 12, Focus on Facilitators). The team highlighted the importance of being open to different understandings of mental health experiences and how transformative diverse forms of knowledge exchange are in this work.
This project demonstrated that the study of subjective experience has a key role in improving the relevance of interventions, enhancing research culture and elevating the knowledge and expertise of those with lived experience.
The report suggests next steps for researchers and research institutions, policy makers, publishers and funders to foster the increased integration for studies of subjective experiences within mental health research (from page 13, Next Steps).
This work was commissioned by Wellcome, with some additional funding through a Discovery Research Platform Award to the Institute for Medical Humanities at Durham University.
