MS4MH-R

Mutual Support for Mental Health-Research (MS4MH-R) is a group of people who have experience of self-harm, suicidality, or mental illness as either patients or carers.

The group uses their wealth of perspectives, insights and experience to help researchers at the University of Manchester in the design, delivery, and sharing of mental health research. The group act as ‘critical partners’ ensuring the research is relevant, focused and has a positive impact.

The group works with researchers from the National Institute of Health Research Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (NIHR GM PSRC) and the Centre for Mental Health and Safety.

On this page:

1. Involving patient and carer partners in research
2. Engaging the public with research
3. Blogs and awards
4. Projects and publications
5. Resources
6. Help in a crisis
7. Contact us

Involving patient and carer partners in research

Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in mental health research is an active partnership between patients, carers, and researchers. The aim of our PPIE is to research areas of importance: asking the right questions to the right people and shaping our research for better outcomes for mental health patients and carers.

Our public contributors are involved throughout the research cycle, from funding applications and the design of research, through to interpretation of results and dissemination.

Involvement might include contributors at any of the following stages:

• identifying areas for research
• reviewing literature
• helping to determine research questions, aims and hypotheses
• study design and methodology
• participant or data sample
• collecting data
• processing, coding, analysing and interpreting data
• reporting research
• dissemination or sharing of results

The group activities are often via meetings and individual project tasks. Meetings may be online or in person and contributors are encouraged to connect in the best way for them.

Wellbeing

At the core of our work is a focus on wellbeing. We work to a set of ground rules and have a co-designed wellbeing plan (available in the resource section). We encourage every contributor to complete the wellbeing plan.

We focus on building relationships and creating a safe space for all people to contribute. We have regular wellbeing check-ins and debriefs during and following tasks. We acknowledge that all people have their own unique experiences and invite contributors to share what they feel comfortable with and, importantly, only when they feel comfortable. Please see the toolkit available in the resource section for more information.

“All work puts the contributors first. Because of this, the researchers have built up trust, so that the many avenues of research can produce well-founded studies through the plethora of knowledge and experiences our contributors have shared.”

 

Jonathan / Public contributor

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Engaging the public with research

Together with researchers, members of MS4MH-R support how our research and PPIE strategy is communicated to the public.

MS4MH-R members have spoken about their involvement and provided advice and insights for those looking to engage marginalised people in research at the Greater Manchester PSTRC annual symposium on patient safety, mental health and COVID-19.

Members have also co-produced two art and photography engagement exhibitions for World Suicide Prevention Day:

• Seeds of Hope at Manchester Town Hall (2019)
• Hope during the COVID-19 pandemic (online exhibition) (2020)

From the World Suicide Prevention Day 2020 photo exhibit: Hope during the COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives from people with personal experience of self-harm, suicide and mental health.

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Blogs and awards

Members of MS4MH-R and researchers co-write blog posts about mental health that bring lived experience and scientific expertise together.

These include:

• How to generate inclusive and diverse mental health patient and public involvement and engagement (Greater Manchester PSTRC blog)
• What hope means during the COVID-19 pandemic – a virtual exhibition to mark World Suicide Prevention Day (Greater Manchester PSTRC blog)
• Helping mental health services rise to the challenge of COVID-19 (NIHR blog)
• Suicide prevention, mental health, and why hope is so important during the COVID-19 pandemic (Greater Manchester PSTRC blog)

Awards

• Selected for recognition in the NIHR CRN Greater Manchester Evening of Excellence awards for Inspiring Inclusive Involvement (2021).
• Highly commended in the Outstanding contribution to Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement category of the Making a Difference Awards at The University of Manchester (2019).
• Nominated in the NIHR Greater Manchester Clinical Research Awards for Best Practice Engagement Contribution.

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Projects and publications

MS4MH-R has been involved in the following research projects and publications.

Projects

• Preventing self-harm and suicide theme, NIHR GM PSRC 
• Mental health assessments and psychological therapies following self-harm (MhAPT)
• Effective family involvement to improve patient wellbeing and safety

Selected publications

• Quinlivan, L. (2023).  Accessing Psychological therapies following self-harm: qualitative survey of patient experiences and views on improving practice, BJPsych Open, 9: e62. 
• Quinlivan, L. (2023). Liaison psychiatry practitioners’ views on accessing aftercare and psychological therapies for patients who present to hospital following self-harm: multisite interview study. BJPsych Open, 2023, 9: e34. 
• Quinlivan, L. (2021). ‘Relieved to be seen’ – patient and carer experiences of psychosocial assessment in the emergency department following self-harm: qualitative analysis of 102 free-text survey responses, BMJ Open, 11; e044434:

View publication

• Quinlivan et al. (2021). ‘Wasn’t offered one, too poorly to ask for one’ – Reasons why some patients do not receive a psychosocial assessment following self-harm: Qualitative patient and carer survey, Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2021, 56, 398-407.

View publication

Related projects and centres

MS4MH-R members work with different researchers throughout the Greater Manchester PSTRC and the Centre for Mental Health and Safety.

• NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (Greater Manchester PSRC)
• Greater Manchester PSTRC Mental Health Theme
• National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health
• The Manchester Self-Harm Project
• Centre for Mental Health and Safety

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Resources for researchers

Working with people with lived experience of mental health, suicide and self-harm and their carers brings additional insights and considerations for PPIE.

Through our experience of mental health PPIE, we have co-developed a toolkit providing free resources for researchers for carrying out PPIE in sensitive research areas.

Please use the citation in the toolkit and guide, should you choose to use any of the resources.

• Patient and public involvement in self-harm prevention research: Shared Learning Toolkit (toolkit, available soon)
• Patient and public involvement in self-harm and suicide prevention research: Public contributor guide
• Patient and public involvement in self-harm and suicide prevention research: Easy read infographic 
• Working together/terms of reference
• Public contributor wellbeing plan
• Planning PPIE for researchers
• Media guidelines [see toolkit)

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Help in a crisis

MS4MH-R is set up to provide a lived/living experience perspective in research. We do not provide treatment, advice or mental health care for those experiencing crisis.

If you are in crisis or feeling suicidal, we urge you to seek help from your GP or local hospital emergency department, through a telephone helpline service, or by discussing your problems with a friend or colleague.

Information and support services

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Contact us

If you would like to find out more about patient and public involvement and engagement, or you would like to join the group, please contact Leah. She will be happy to chat on the phone, by email or in person.

If you do wish to join any of the group’s in-person meetings, we can arrange to meet you shortly beforehand and bring you to the meeting room.

Dr Leah Quinlivan (Research Fellow)
Email: leah.quinlivan@manchester.ac.uk

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