How can we understand the real needs of people with a psychotic disorder when research involving this group often faces barriers such as stigma, varying levels of illness insight, cognitive difficulties and distrust of research?
To ensure that the voices of these people are better heard, several adaptations were made to the NEED methodology. The focus was broadened from schizophrenia alone to psychotic disorders more broadly, overly medical or stigmatising language was removed from the data collection tools and recruitment materials, questionnaires and interviews were adapted to better reflect the experiences of these patients, and a broad and inclusive recruitment strategy was developed.
This approach makes research more accessible to people with psychotic disorders and provides valuable lessons for future applications of the NEED methodology in mental health and other complex or stigmatised conditions.
