Paper short abstract:

The use of participative methodologies as a way of approaching anthropological research help us to integrate our informants like an active part in the research process, creating collaborative forms of anthropological knowledge like our Guide of Best Practices focused on adolescent mental health services.

Paper long abstract:

The use of participative methodologies as a way of approaching anthropological research present interesting advantages since could help us to have a better engagement with our informants and create collaborative forms of anthropological knowledge.

Inside the project we have been working, focused on young people mental health, we used a participative approach to investigate the non-help-seeking process between young adults in the mental health services in Spain.

We worked in a multidisciplinary and participative way in order to construct a Guide of Best Practices with pragmatic character that result of usefulness to correct the barriers detected in the process of non-help-seeking, and to help to improve in this way the professional practices and the access to specialized services, between other multiple aspects. This Guide was created together with young people, mental health professionals and researchers.

The fact of working together with the principal involved actors has allowed us to compile the experiences and perceptions of both, there being generated thus a dialog in which both perspectives have managed to join, which has allowed us to obtain a material which will be of practical usefulness.

Our experience shows that the use of a methodological approach based on the participative research enriches both the process of investigation, and the obtained results, having in addition a direct impact in the daily occupation of the actors involved in the phenomenon, helping at the same time to improve the professional and academic practice, empowering the actors integrating them as proactive part of the process.