Mental health research is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ young people to ensure that the interventions and treatments designed are acceptable, engaging and effective. However, at the moment, not all young people are given the opportunity to shape mental health research, meaning the mental health services available to them are not always youth-focused or effective. Some of the most vulnerable young people who would most benefit from effective support (e.g. ethnic minorities and those with multiple or severe mental health problems) are rarely included in the research process. All young people have the right to have their say in their own mental health care and research, and this project aims to make this happen.

This project aims to co-develop tools to ensure that the voices and experiences of young people, especially underrepresented young people, are placed at the centre of mental health research. Increased representation of diverse young people within mental health research is essential to reduce inequalities and ensure research benefits all.

This study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Key Concepts

• Youth Involvement in Research: Research carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ young people rather than ‘to’ ‘for’ or ‘about’ them.

• Underrepresented Groups: Young people belong to different communities and have different backgrounds. Certain backgrounds are currently underrepresented in mental health research (e.g. ethnic minority groups, those who have been in care, and those with lived experience of severe mental illness)

• Co-Develop: Different groups of people, including experts by experience, create something together

We are collaborating with researchers, community organisations and young people aged 16-25 living in London to develop these resources.

Find out more

This project aims to develop tools so that the voices and experiences of all young people are placed at the centre of mental health research. We have collaborated with researchers and young people aged 16-25 living in London to develop these tools.

The Roundtable Event

On Monday, the 10th of June, 40 of us (young people, researchers, and youth workers) - including many of our AMPLIFY members - came together to discuss the importance of youth involvement and the ways we can ensure that everyone’s voices and experiences are heard in mental health research. Over the course of the afternoon, we shared findings from the Co-RISE study so far and reflected on the barriers and facilitators of youth involvement in research. We also worked together to co-develop the final resources (e.g. infographic, animation) we will produce as part of this project, with the aim of supporting the involvement of underrepresented young people in mental health research.

During the session, we had a visual artist capture the discussion - check out the final product below to see the key points we discussed:

Our next steps now are to create the resources we co-developed. We will share those with you once they are complete (end of July). Thank you to all of our AMPLIFY members who took part, and to all the Co-RISE study participants!