This report presents findings from a review of scholarly, grey literature and expert interviews related to the perspectives, involvement, and practices for engaging people with lived experience in the development, implementation, and evaluation of digital mental health technologies. The study focuses on current and emerging forms of digitally-mediated support for people with lived experience of anxiety, depression, and psychosis, and how lived experience is and is not being embedded in their development. 

The findings are intended to support funding strategies and research practices to better align with the needs and preferences of people with lived experience.

Key findings 

There is a strong consensus among those with lived experience on the potential of digital technologies to support
mental health support, emphasising the importance of supplementing rather than replacing in-person support.  

This review finds that the involvement of people with lived experience has often been limited to assessing user experience and acceptance of digital approaches, with few studies identified that employed participatory, co-designed, and lived experience led approaches throughout the research and development journey. 

Best practices for lived experience engagement

• Research and development is relevant to lived experience needs and preferences.
• Engagement with people with lived experience occurs throughout the research and development journey.
• Reflective practices support adapting and learning in lived experience engagement activity.
• Projects should clarify decision-making power when adopting methods of co-design, co-production, co-generation, and so on.
• People with lived experience are appropriately supported and remunerated.
• Lived experience activity is reported and acknowledged in knowledge translation.
• Lived experience engagement is systematic, building on appropriate frameworks and models.
• Engagement activity builds and empowers leadership and builds capabilities and capacities.