Have you ever had an extreme experience which had led to you being officially diagnosed with ‘psychosis’ by a medical professional?

You may be interested in taking part in research which seeks to explore Transformative Meaning in our ‘Madness’ – are experiences diagnosed as psychosis meaningful rather than just pathological?

The purpose of this study is to explore how some people find and harness transformative meaning in their experiences conceptualised as psychosis by clinical psychiatry in order to better understand and support them.

If you would like to share your feelings and experiences for this research study and are chosen to take part, you would be interviewed for approximately one hour via zoom.

To take part in this study, you need to fit the following criteria:

• Have previously received an official label of psychosis by a medical professional
• Found this label unhelpful and sought alternative ways to understand your experience.
• Not experienced an extreme episode for at least 2 years, are currently emotionally stable / are not suffering from any serious or ongoing psychological difficulties
• Between 25 – 75 yrs. of age  
• Fluent English speaker
• Able to talk about a transformative aspect of your experience and the meaning gleaned from that
• Have access to a solid, current support network, and are able to develop a personal support plan in case this is needed during the process
• Be willing and able to give feedback on transcripts and interpretation of your data  

There will be a formal information sheet which will explain in more detail. However, it is important to say that there is a risk the interview may trigger difficult feelings as the research is exploring such an emotive topic. To support your process, you will be given resources and signposted to services before and after the interview.

If you feel that you fit the inclusion criteria above and are happy to go ahead, you can complete this Pre-Screening Questionnaire which will be used to assess your eligibility to take part. It should only take around 10 mins to answer the questions. Please note, completing this questionnaire does not mean that you will be contacted to take part in the study.

Your responses will be kept confidential and will be used solely for research purposes.

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time. If you are invited and choose to participate, your time and effort will be greatly appreciated and will contribute to the success of this project.

If you would like any further information regarding this study, or have any questions or concerns, you can contact the primary researcher at: K.Mottram@2021.ljmu.ac.uk or the project Supervisor: Dr Ellis Linders at ellis.linders@aleftrust.org