Video ethnography: introducing a new tool from research to psychiatric practice?

ABSTRACT

Background: Ongoing progress in psychiatric research calls for interdisciplinary approaches and use of novel methodologies.

Methods: After discussing theoretical advantages of the use of video ethnography in psychiatric research in the context of urbanicity/psychosis studies, the present article explores the representations of first line practitioners regarding its use in psychiatric research and, by extrapolation, in general practice based on qualitative analysis of case-managers feedbacks.

Results: Video ethnography was found sufficiently acceptable and tolerable tool within our research cohort. Both patients and case managers were positive about assets provided by this approach.

Conclusions: Nevertheless, more research is warranted to supplement reported results and conceptualize further implementation of video ethnography as a research tool. Further developments in this area may profit to psychiatric care beneficiaries by enabling a user inclusive approach and enriching therapists' appreciation of the impact of psychotic symptoms on patient's daily life. While the use of video ethnography in psychiatric research and practice with patients suffering from psychosis remains scarce, ever changing attitudes of the society towards self-exposure and availability of non-professional video recording material may further shape both research and clinical practice

KEYWORDS:

• Psychosis
• video ethnography
• early intervention
• urbanicity
• user inclusive methods

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to case managers and patients of Treatment and Early Intervention in Psychosis Program (TIPP), as well as to Celine Bourquin Sachse, responsible for research projects in Liaison Psychiatry CHUV, for their valuable contribution to this paper.

Disclosure statement

Authors have no conflicting interests.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Prof Philippe Conus and Lilith Abrahamyan Empson are supported by a grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation [CR13I1_153320].