Information for Lived Experience Experts

There are huge opportunities at the intersection of AI and mental health, but also risks and complexities. It is crucial that those with first-hand experience of mental health problems are involved in research and development of tools, in order to ensure that the right questions are being asked to design safer, more impactful interventions.

We understand lived experience as a unique form of knowledge, insight, and expertise that comes from having experience of mental health challenges. When we refer to ‘lived experience experts’ or ‘people with lived experience’ we are referring to people who identify as having experienced anxiety, depression and/or psychosis broadly defined, either in the past or currently. People with lived experience do not need to have been diagnosed by professionals or have accessed formal mental health services.

To learn more about our approach to involving Lived Experience, please visit:

Embedding lived experience expertise in mental health research

Why science nedds lived experience to solve mental health challengs

Registering on the MEXA platform

If you are interested in joining the MEXA community as a Lived Experience Expert, please register for the platform. The second registration page asks for some information that may not be relevant, such as Academic Institution Affiliation and Orcid ID. You can leave these sections blank if they do not apply to you. The only required field for this page is ‘Role’. Please enter ‘Lived Experience Expert’ here if you are not working in this capacity in your primary employment.

On the third page of the registration, you are asked to share your research interest and a couple of articles or blogs that you have written or have interested you. This is to allow our algorithm to match you with the right people. In these sections, you are not expected at any point to share your personal stories or details of any diagnosis. This will not be asked of you at any point in the process. Your contribution to the research process will not be based on individual experiences but how your experience has shaped your expert insight to improve and enable mental health science more widely.

Should you have any questions, please contact Hannah Atkinson (h.atkinson@wellcome.org).