The Psychosocial Impact of Psychiatric Medication in Psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Psychosocial Impact of Psychiatric Medication in Early Psychosis: Feeling, Relating and Living well.
IRAS ID
226225
Contact name
Sarah Bögle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London South Bank University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 31 days
Research summary
The Psychosocial Impact of Psychiatric Medication: Feeling, Relating and Living Well.
The purpose of this research is to explore the psychosocial impact of psychiatric medication, with a specific focus on users’ relational lives in early psychosis. Emerging evidence indicates that psychiatric medication intake influences users’ relational experiences, which in turn affects their recovery process and treatment choices (Gibson, Brand, Burt, Boden, & Benson, 2013). In order to complement these findings, the proposed research will investigate how psychiatric medication might shape users’ relations with others, and the meanings users assign to these experiences. As the first three years following an initial episode of psychosis are deemed ‘critical’ in the long-term course of treatment (Birchwood et al., 1998), the research will explore users’ psychiatric medication experiences in early psychosis.
The proposed research participants are 15 to 20 Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) mental health service-users who will be taking psychiatric medication. The chief investigator will meet with each participant for a private semi-structured interview at one of the collaborating EIP Services three times at six-month intervals. Interviews will involve visual methods to supplement the participants’ verbal accounts. The visual material will provide a medium through which the non-linguistic aspects of the participants’ lived experiences can be explored. The data collected will first be transcribed and then analysed using qualitative research methods. It is envisaged that this research will contribute a more detailed understanding of users’ relational experiences whilst taking psychiatric medication, and their corresponding treatment choices.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1486
Date of REC Opinion
27 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion