Citation

Stomski NJ, Morrison P, Whitely M, Brennan P. Community Ment. Health J. 2018; 54(5): 607-615.

Affiliation

Health Consumers Council (WA), 40 Lord St, East Perth, 6004, Western Australia, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10597-017-0177-9

PMID

29094230

Abstract

Advocacy plays a vital role in ensuring that mental health consumers' rights are maintained. However, the primary issues for which consumers seek advocacy support remain unknown. Understanding these issues provides a sound basis from which advocacy organisations may develop a clear service delivery focus. This study addresses the literature gap through presenting a qualitative analysis of 60 records from an advocacy service. Four major themes emerged, across which two key issues were dominant: the sense of fearfulness and disempowerment. These issues accentuate the importance of advocates in enhancing the agency of mental health consumers.

Language: en

Keywords

Advocacy; Consumer; Mental health; Participation