Using qualitative research to inform mental health policy

Abstract

This article offers examples of the ways in which qualitative methods have informed, and may inform, mental health policy in Canada and beyond. Three initial uses of these methods are identified: to generate hypotheses to be tested by other means; to explore the subjective experiences and everyday lives of people with mental illnesses; and to investigate processes of recovery and the active role of the individual in recovery. Given the recent focus in mental health policy in Canada, the United States, and around the world on transforming mental health systems to promote recovery and the emphasis recovery places on the individual's own first-hand perspective, we argue that qualitative methods will become increasingly useful as psychiatry shifts away from symptom reduction to enabling people to live satisfying, hopeful, and meaningful lives in the community.