An exploration of the experience of mental health service users when they decide they would like to change or withdraw from prescribed medications

Accessible summary•  This study reports on a small collaborative research project started by service users, and on a subject chosen by them, and then carried out with staff from a local NHS Trust and University. •  It looks at the choices people make in changing or stopping mental health medications, and their experiences of how professional staffs were either helpful or unhelpful in advising and helping them with these choices. Some of the themes generated in the focus groups are examined in detail and recommendations made for practice including the need for better information giving to support choice. •  The themes examined include ‘the two faces of service provision’ which looks at positive and less positive experiences of service provision, the general practice/mental health divide which points out differences and difficulties between general practice and specialist practice, and ‘becoming an informed service user’ which examines the many sources of information available to service users and how they use these.Abstract This paper reports on a collaborative research project initiated by service user representatives and led by clinicians from the mental health service in Derbyshire. The study explored the experiences of mental health service users when they either changed or terminated their use of mental health‐related medications. Three focus groups were conducted with mental health service users from across the county. An inductive thematic analysis identified six key themes, three of which are reported here: the ‘two faces’ of service provision , describing the positive and negative experiences of services; the general practice/mental health divide , relating to the lack of continuity between the two services; and becoming an informed service user , where participants discussed the importance of seeking information. It is important that mental health professionals always consider presenting their ‘best face’ to service users, and facilitate the prescribing process with general practitioners. The findings also highlight the potential for supporting service users in using different sources of information to become more informed about medication.