ABSTRACT
The simplest way to learn about people is to talk with them. The interview is a way of talking with people: very simple but potentially highly complex. The interview in a psychiatric mental health context differs little from any other, such as a job interview. Both involve an imbalance of power and may involve ‘open’ as well as ‘hidden’ agendas. Only the questions and format will differ. The common aim is to build up a picture of the person through conversation – albeit a fairly one-sided one.
