PhotoVoice: An Ideal Methodology for Use within Recovery-Oriented Mental Health Research

Abstract

At the heart of recovery-orientated mental health care and the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) movement, is the inclusion of experts by experience as collaborators on mental health research projects. However, embedding Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) can be challenging in academic institutions that have long-standing researcher-as-expert structures in place. PhotoVoice is a collaborative, participant-centric community-based methodology that has potential to overcome some of the challenges encountered within Public and Patient Involvement (PPI). This discursive paper describes what PhotoVoice is, why it was developed, it’s application in research and its alignment to recovery principles. Thereby arguing that PhotoVoice is an ideal methodology for use within recovery-orientated research.