Abstract:
The aims of this study were to explore the aetiological beliefs of mental health serviceusers who have experienced psychosis, and develop an instrument to assess those beliefs. Service-users from an Early Psychosis Intervention service within the Auckland region were asked about their psychotic experiences, and their understandings of them. Analysis of these interviews (n=14) revealed three sets of data, ‘Experiences of Psychosis’, ‘Causes’, and ‘Service-Users' Feedback’. These findings, along with previous research findings about service-users understandings of their psychotic experiences were used to develop a draft instrument for clinicians to use when assessing service-users’ causal beliefs. The draft instrument was presented to clinicians (n=13) for them to provide feedback regarding the relevance of the instrument’s items to specific themes, thereby beginning to assess the instrument’s face validity. The implications of this study include furthering the notion that service-users are experts of their own experiences, as well as developing a draft instrument that could be used clinically, and in turn potentially facilitate both treatment and recovery.
