MHM Magazine

Issue 4 | 2023 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 15 MHM To begin, it’s important to define what is meant by an “Expert by Experience” in the context of mental health – it’s someone who has or had experience of a mental health condition, who, through their journey of recovery, have navigated systems to access services, and/or faced and dealt with adversity that goes along with a diagnosis. Experts by Experience therefore have unique insights, awareness and are able to provide practical solutions, through personal and collective experiences in mental health. The phrases ‘Experts by Experience’ and ‘People with Lived Experience’ have started to become prominent in global discussion and decision- making platforms that steer through processes of research, mental health service development, delivery, and policy. However, in some (mostly low-and-middle income) countries the concept of people with lived experience playing an integral role in mental health and its various domains, has yet to make a significant shift towards meaningful and authentic inclusion of experts by experience in policy and practice. One of the key functions of policy is to respond to the needs of people and protect human rights. Therefore, if policy and practices fail to integrate the perspectives and recommendations of service users in its development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation phases, interventions would then result in wasteful expenditure resources and a non-alignment of service user needs. Without the elements of good practices in policy and strategic plans, we sit merely with paperwork and less effective engagement. International human rights instruments and mental health related reports and guidelines explicitly call for equality and recognition of the value of all people, including people with lived experience of mental health conditions, towards advancing socio-economic and sustainable development. The WHO World Mental Health Report: Transforming mental health for all (2022) notes that “People with lived experience are crucial stakeholders in mental health. Their participation is vital to improve mental health systems, services and outcomes. Such participation By Charlene Sunkel Founder/ Chief Executive Officer Global Mental Health Peer Network EXPERTS BY EXPERIENCE IN POLICY AND PRACTICE