Background: There is a growing body of research on user involvement in mental health care and it is a key aim of current mental health policy.
Aim: The objective of this study was to obtain the views of a sample of users of mental health services regarding user involvement using a qualitative approach.
Method: Five exploratory focus groups were carried out with 31 current and ex users of mental health services. A grounded theory approach was taken to data collection and analysis.
Results: Four main themes emerged from the focus groups: language, mental health professionals, models of care and information and communication. Each of these also had a number of categories and sub-categories. The focus group findings highlight that this sample of users of mental health services value acceptable language, social inclusion, person-centred care, appropriate training of mental health professionals, information and communication, autonomy/control and peer support.
Conclusions: It would appear that while user involvement is frequently mentioned in policy documents, in practice the aims are not yet being fully achieved.
