The value of people’s unique lived experience of mental illness (including psychosis), professional treatment and recovery as a valid form of knowledge remains relatively unexplored and under-utilised by mental health professionals, policy makers and by those seeking help. Mutual peer support remains a largely untapped resource, often ignored and distanced from mainstream services. In this reflective perspective article, I share my own experiences as a service user, spouse, close relative and brother-in-law and also as someone who worked for many years in mutual peer support and in the area of recovery. I reflect on the findings of my doctoral narrative research which focused on the role played by Grow Mental Health, Ireland’s largest network of mutual peer support groups, in recovery from a wide range of diagnoses. The main finding from this research suggested that recovery can be experienced as a re-enchantment with life and that mental illness can act as a gateway to mental health rather than be experienced as a form of (often life-long) disability. In the discussion I try and envisage what a recovery oriented mental health system might look like, and what changes would need to be introduced. Despite such a long personal history of dealing with mental illness and witnessing many different levels of recovery, I still have much to learn about mental illness and recovery. I also welcome many recent changes made within the system and indeed this special edition of the journal.

As assisted dying moves towards legalisation, it is imperative that research be undertaken to inform eligibility and ensure that proper safeguards are instituted. To achieve a meaningful understanding of physician-assisted suicide, such research must draw on professionals with a wide range of expertise and include people with lived experience.

This chapter discusses the Dutch Law on Compulsory Mental Healthcare (Wvggz), which aims to strengthen the autonomy of patients with severe mental disorders by recognizing that coercive measures can be used not only to prevent harm, but also to restore autonomy. This approach challenges the traditional notion that coercive measures inherently undermine autonomy. The chapter also explores the unintended consequences of the law, such as increased bureaucracy. We argue that while the Wvggz introduces valuable ideas, its practical implementation has highlighted the challenges of translating legislative goals into effective practices.

There has been a boom in the availability of wearable neuromodulator devices for the treatment of mental health problems. These can be purchased outside of medical practitioner oversight or prescription. Psychiatrists need to know what these can offer and consider whether, and how, they may be integrated into psychiatric practice. This article briefly considers examples of these devices and their evidence base. It describes the experiences of the author and her husband in using such devices for their own mental healthcare and well-being.

Comprehend, Cope and Connect (CCC) is a trauma-informed, transdiagnostic and evidence-based psychological intervention for mental health crises that can be applied cross-culturally. CCC has been implemented in acute and crisis mental health settings across the South of England and in services elsewhere in the UK. More recently, it has been taken up and adapted for specialist community settings, including perinatal services, addiction services and primary care settings. A continuously growing evidence base indicates that CCC could be the next step towards solving the national problem of mental health crises. It is now time for CCC to be piloted and researched nationally.

Women in the perinatal phase are at an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems, but in low and middle-income countries such as India, perinatal mental health (PMH) care provision is often scarce. This situational analysis presents the formative findings of the SMARThealth Pregnancy and Mental Health (PRAMH) project (Votruba et al. 2023). It investigates the nature and availability of maternal mental health policies, legislation, systems and services, as well as relevant context and community in India on a national, state (Haryana and Telangana) and district (Faridabad and Siddipet) level. A desktop, scoping review and informal interviews with mental health experts were conducted. Socio-demographic and maternal health indicators vary between Haryana and Telangana. No specific national PMH policy or plan is available. General mental health services exist at a district level within Siddipet and Faridabad, but no specific PMH services have been identified.

Recent attention to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has led to positionality wherein investigators and authors disclose their identity and social position, allowing readers to interpret findings through the lens of authors’ biases. This article describes positionality via meanings of identity and impact of positionality on readers and authors themselves.

Traditional faith healers (TFHs) are often consulted for serious mental illness (SMIs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Involvement of TFHs in mental healthcare could provide an opportunity for early identification and intervention to reduce the mental health treatment gap in LMICs. The aim of this study was to identify models of collaboration between TFHs and biomedical professionals, determine the outcomes of these collaborative models and identify any mechanisms (i.e., explanatory processes) or contextual moderators (i.e., barriers and facilitators) of these outcomes. A systematic scoping review of five electronic databases was performed from inception to March 2023 guided by consultation with local experts in Nigeria and Bangladesh. Data were extracted using a predefined data charting form and synthesised narratively. Six independent studies (eight articles) satisfied the inclusion criteria. Study locations included Ghana (n = 1), Nigeria (n = 1), Nigeria and Ghana (n = 1), India (n = 1), Hong Kong (n = 1) and South Africa (n = 1). We identified two main intervention typologies: (1) Western-based educational interventions for TFHs and (2) shared collaborative models between TFHs and biomedical professionals. Converging evidence from both typologies indicated that education for TFHs can help reduce harmful practices. Shared collaborative models led to significant improvements in psychiatric symptoms (in comparison to care as usual) and increases in referrals to biomedical care from TFHs. Proposed mechanisms underpinning outcomes included trust building and empowering TFHs by increasing awareness and knowledge of mental illness and human rights. Barriers to implementation were observed at the individual (e.g., suspicions of TFHs), relationship (e.g., reluctance of biomedical practitioners to equalise their status with TFHs) and service (e.g., lack of formal referral systems) levels. Research on collaborative models for mental healthcare is in its infancy. Preliminary findings are encouraging. To ensure effective collaboration, future programmes should incorporate active participation from community stakeholders (e.g., patients, caregivers, faith healers) and target barriers to implementation on multiple levels.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of recent mental illness research by utilizing an advanced bibliographic method capable of analyzing up to 12,965 papers indexed in the Web of Science database, overcoming the limitations of traditional tools like VOSviewer, which typically analyze fewer than 1,000 papers. By examining a vast dataset, this study identifies key trends, significant keywords, and prominent contributors, including leading researchers, universities, and countries/regions, in the field of mental illness research. Additionally, the study highlights eight major contributors to mental health problems, offering critical insights into the field’s current state. The findings underscore the importance of advanced bibliographic methods in providing a more detailed and accurate overview of mental illness research. This analysis not only enhances the understanding of young scholars entering the field but also uncovers significant trends and identifies notable gaps in the literature. The study advocates for continued innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration to deepen understanding and address unresolved challenges in mental health research.

For several years stigma researchers in India have relied on Western instruments or semi-structured stigma scales in their studies. However, these scales have not been rigorously translated and adapted to the local cultural framework. In the current study, we describe the cultural adaptation of six stigma scales with the purpose of using it in the native language (Kannada) based on translation steps of forward translation, expert review and synthesis, cultural equivalence, back translation and cognitive interview processes.

Several items were modified in the target language at each stage of the cultural adaptation process as mentioned in the above steps across all scales. Cultural explanations for the same have been provided. Concepts such as “community forest” and “baby sitting" was replaced with equivalent native synonyms. We introduced native cultural and family values such as “joint family system” and modified the item of housing concept in one of the tools. The concept of “privacy” in the Indian rural context was observed to be familial than individual-based and modification of corresponding items according to the native context of “privacy”. Finally, items from each scale were modified but retained without affecting the meaning and the core construct.