From our perspective: Consumer researchers speak about their experience in a community mental health research project.

Abstract

People who have experienced the mental health system were hired and trained as researchers in a community mental health research project. Throughout the course of the project, these consumer researchers reflected on what they learned about their research experience. This article is a window into this learning process and offers an opportunity to see research through the eyes of consumer researchers. We begin by giving an overview of the research project and introducing the research team. Then the consumer researchers in our project share their experiences and insights about involving mental health consumers in research projects. We hope that ourproject's experiences will help other projects that involve consumers in ways that are empowering for the consumer and beneficial to the research.