Public Partnerships
Public Partnerships, also known as ‘Patient Public Involvement and Engagement’ (PPIE) refers to a collaborative partnership between researchers and the public, where the public is involved in all aspects of the research process as partners.
Involvement can include being a part of activities such as working with the funders, providing advice or perspective, assisting in the development in research materials, or being involved in interviews. Engagement can look like ensuring that the public is informed of the research process and outcomes, as well as providing input.
The benefits of PPIEP is that it helps ensure that research is relevant to the needs of the public, meaning that the publics’ voice is heard. Another element of PPIEP is ‘co-production’ which is a type of PPIEP where the public is recognised as having equal skills and knowledge in designing and delivering the research – much like the co-designed nature of the EPICare project and the Difficult to Treat Depression digital platform (for more info see Research)
We have included members of the public, also known as our ‘lived-experience’ groups, in across all the research themes of the MHM: Mood Disorders, Psychosis and Children and Young People.
PPIE Psychosis
Involvement of experts by experience has been a critical component of the EPICare project since its inception as a research idea. At the…
PPIE Children & Young People
Building a Youth-Focused Mental Health Research SystemOur work with children and young people aims to establish a UK-wide system for…
PPIE Mood Disorders
The Midlands PPIE group for adults has concentrated on the Mood Disorders workstream, with a special focus on long term depression (LTD).LTD affects…
Psychosis
Involvement of experts by experience has been a critical component of the EPICare project since its inception as a research idea. At the pre-application stage, EPICare was brought to the Institute for Mental Health Youth Advisory Group (YAG) – a diverse group of young people with lived experience of mental health challenges and/or supporting someone with lived experience of mental health challenges. A series of meetings with the YAG supported the team to understand the value and viability of the project from a public perspective, with input shaping various aspects of the study approach – for example, how to best involve experts by experience in the delivery of the project.
Children & Young People
Our work with children and young people aims to establish a UK-wide system for early-stage mental health research, focusing on improving the measurement and tracking of mental health needs among young people. By leveraging innovative digital tools, we seek to attract industry support and develop more effective treatments for children and teenagers across diverse communities. Our key goals are to establish a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and to create a platform for early-stage mental health trials and standardizing methods to measure and monitor symptoms and biomarkers.
Long Term Depression
The Midlands PPIE group for adults has concentrated on the Mood Disorders workstream, with a special focus on long term depression (LTD). LTD affects nearly a third of people with major depression and is marked by resistance to conventional treatments like medication and therapy. Our group of contributors with lived experience of LTD has been instrumental in the development of a specialized digital platform designed to capture complex datasets on LTD. This consolidated information allows researchers to identify connections, investigate causes, and develop more effective treatments at an accelerated pace, paving the way for future trials.
