The Psych-STRATA project was highlighted at the World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP 2025), held in Prague from 5 to 8 October. Work Package 6 co-leader Erik Van der Eycken (GAMIAN-Europe) represented the consortium, bringing the project’s patient-centred vision to an international audience of clinicians, researchers, and mental health advocates.
As part of the session “No decision about us, without us”, Erik delivered a presentation examining the crucial role of Shared Decision Making (SDM) in modern mental health care. The session placed strong emphasis on Psych-STRATA’s co-design methodology, showing how the joint work of Experts by Lived Experience (PAB members) and academic researchers strengthens both the scientific quality of the project and its relevance to real-world mental health needs.
Erik outlined the limitations of traditional paternalistic care models where clinicians make treatment decisions alone and contrasted them with SDM practices embedded in Psych-STRATA. This included examples from the Mental Health Board and the project’s AI-supported personalised treatment tool, both of which position patients as equal partners in shaping their care pathway. The message was clear: involving patients meaningfully leads to more effective, acceptable, and person-centred outcomes.
The Congress session also underscored how lived experience enriches every stage of Psych-STRATA, from shaping research questions to improving the design of digital tools and clinical processes. This approach reflects a broader shift across European mental health research towards equity, transparency, and co-production.Psych-STRATA extends sincere thanks to all PAB members, whose insights and experiences informed this presentation and continue to guide the project’s development. Their contribution remains essential to ensuring that mental health innovation genuinely serves the people it is designed for.
